Influences of different wiping methods cleaning agent removal on the effectiveness of skin dirt removal：A quasi-experimental study

Abstract

 This quasi-experimental study aims to determine the effectiveness of different cleaning agent removal methods in removing skin dirt from the forearms of healthy women. After removal of skin dirt, the detergent was removed in three different methods, i.e., wiping off from the periphery to the center（WIPE A）, from the center to the periphery（WIPE B）, and in circular motions shifted outward from the center（WIPE C）. A total of five sites, of which one site included an area where oil-based lipstick was applied as a dirt substitute, were evaluated. The effectiveness of skin dirt removal by the different methods, involved determining the difference（Δa^＊values）calculated between pre and post-intervention skin colours. The number of significant differences between the four-cleaning agent removal methods at each measurement site was counted, and the total number of participants for each cleaning agent removal methods was calculated as a total score. The WIPE C method demonstrated a higher total five-site scores than the WIPE A and WIPE B methods. Among the procedural variations of the wiping methods, circular motions shifting outward from the centre spread less dirt and was most effective in skin dirt removal.