Comparison of the Friction Behavior of Occluded Human Skin and Synthetic Skin in Dry and Moist Conditions

The goal of this work was to assess the suitability of a commercial synthetic skin to simulate occluded human skin friction behaviour in dry and moist skin conditions and under different applied surface pressures, with the view to using this material as a tribological test-bed for healthcare and personal care devices that are in direct contact with the skin during use. A flat rotating ring friction measurement device, in which one part of the skin surface is continuously covered (i.e. occluded), was used to compare the friction behaviour of human skin and the synthetic skin in controlled nominally dry and nominally moist skin conditions. Three loading levels were tested, simulating light, medium and high skin pressures typical of many lifestyleand personal health-related applications. The results showed that the friction behaviour of the synthetic skin tested here was notably different to that of human skin in vivo in terms of the effects of skin hydration, sliding time and applied surface pressure. It is concluded that, for use as a tribological test-bed, the tested synthetic skin model does not provide an acceptable alternative to in vivo tests using human skin.