Abstract: Measurement of transpidermal water loss (TEWL) is to measure the steady-state water vapor flux across the skin to the external environment, with noninvasive method for assessing the integrity of the skin barrier. A new study found that the TEWL value is closely associated to the gene mutation at chromosome 9q34.3. The genetic update of TEWL and skin barrier is reviewed in this article.

Key words: skin barrier, transepidermal water loss?(TEWL), genetics research