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Pol J Cosmetol 2009, 12(3): 212-216pl,en  Influence hand hygiene agents on skin pHMagdalena Zdybel, Sławomir Wilczyński, Anna Deda, Paweł Ramos Wydział Farmaceutyczny z Oddziałem Medycyny Laboratoryjnej, Śląski Uniwersytet Medyczny w Katowicach Summary Introduction. Importance of hand hygiene in the control of spreading of infections cannot be overrated. However, plain soap without emollients may result not only skin irradiation and dryness but also skin pH alkalization. Making skin´s pH more alkaline can create more susceptible environment to pathogenic bacteria growth. Aim. The primary goal of this study was to compare influence of two different non-medical hygiene agents: the first one, containing emollients, and the second, one without moisturize component, on skin pH of healthy volunteers. Materials and methods. Hand skin pH of 40 healthy volunteers before and after bar soaps application were studied. Two different soaps were used: based on sodium tallowate and devoid of emollients and the second one containing about 25% emollients based on sodium laureth sulfate. HI 98109 pH meter with measuring accuracy of 0.01 pH unit was used. Results. The initial value of volunteers skin pH was 5.51 that is slightly acidic. Washing hands with bar soap without emollients made skin more alkaline (pH 6.68). 20 minutes after hand hygiene treatments pH value decreased almost to initial level. Usage of soap with emollient ingredients did not cause statistically significant change of skin pH. Conclusions. Comparison of the two studied bar soaps shows that emollients addition to hand hygiene agents helps to retain acidic skin pH. Key words: skin pH, hand hygiene, handwashing, soap |