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Measuring instruments designed to determine the quantity of water that passes through the skin (i.e., the epidermis) and evaporates from the surface, known as transepidermal water loss (TEWL) instruments. These devices typically consist of an instrument (probe) that measures and display the value of TEWL usually in gram per square meter per hour (g/m2-h); the instrument may use one of a variety of technologies including: (1) instruments that measure the relative humidity in a closed chamber; (2) instruments based on the measurement following the diffusion principle in an open chamber; or (3) instruments based on the ability to measure the vapor pressure gradient of water at two distances adjacent to the surface of the skin and then to compute the partial pressure gradient and the evaporation rate. TEWL instruments measure one of the most important parameters for assessing the skin barrier function during dermal, neonatal status, cosmetic, and occupational medicine studies.
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