Temporal Changes in Skin Temperature Caused by Wet and Dry Heat in Healthy Volunteers

Abstract

[Purpose] We examined the changes in skin temperature before and after application of wet or dry heat to regions of the bodies of healthy volunteers. [Methods] Sixteen healthy subjects (eight female and eight male volunteers) with no past history of disease were selected for this study. The heat was applied to the shoulder, knee, and back regions for 30 minutes. Time-dependent changes in skin temperature of the knee joint in the suprapatellar, patellar, and infrapatellar regions were also intensively measured after 10, 20, and 30 min of wet or dry heat application. We used an IRIS-5000 digital infrared thermographic imaging (DITI) device for temperature measurements. [Results] In an anthropometric statistic analysis, body mass index (BMI) and Röhrer’s index were significantly decreased in women compared with men. Skin temperatures in the suprapatellar, patellar, and infrapatellar regions of the knee after application of wet and dry heat in both men and women significantly increased in a time-dependent manner. We heat in particular produced a marked time-dependent increase in skin temperature in women compared with men in all regions. On the other hand, dry heat produced a noticeable increase in skin temperature in men compared with women in all regions. In analysis of comparison between wet and dry heat, women showed no differences, but dry heat produced a significant time-dependent increase in skin temperature in the men compared with wet heat in all regions. [Conclusion] The effects of dry and wet heat application on the distribution and variation of skin temperature may differ in part by gender.