The hypothesis was tested that a cyclic variation exists in skin reactivity to irritant stimuli.
Twenty-nine healthy women with regular menstrual cycles were challenged with sodium
lauryl sulfate as an irritant patch test at day 1 and at days 9 through 11 of the menstrual
cycle. The skin response to the applied irritant stimulus was evaluated by visual scoring and
also quantified by measurements of transepidermal water loss, edema formation, and blood
flow in the skin. The skin response to challenge with sodium lauryl sulfate was found to be …