Purpose: To investigate the effects of bed bath with dry wiping on physiological and subjective responses and the differences of these in gender and cutaneous thermal sensitivity.
Methods: Eleven healthy male and female subjects participated in two examination conditions: bed bath with dry wiping (DW) and without dry wiping conditions (non-DW). Additionally, warm and cold thresholds were examined to assess cutaneous thermal sensitivity. Measurement items were skin temperature, skin water content (SWC), transepidermal water loss (TEWL), thermal sensation (TS), and thermal comfort (TC).
Results: SWC and TEWL after bed bath with DW were significantly lower than were those after non-DW in both male and female participants. The decrease in skin temperature after bed bath in females tended to be greater than in males. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in subjective responses between the DW and non-DW participants. Moreover, no significant effect of gender and cutaneous thermal sensitivity on TS and TC were indicated.
Conclusion: It was suggested that DW suppresses water evaporation from the skin after bed bath. The decrease in skin temperature after a bed bath without dry wiping tends to be larger in females. However, there were no significant differences in subjective responses due to conditions.
