Background
Total sleep deprivation has a visible impact on subjective facial appearance. However, there is a lack of knowledge on how moderate sleep restriction objectively impairs skin quality and facial aspect.
Methods
Twenty-four healthy good-sleeping women, aged 30-50, volunteered for this study on the impact of sleep restriction (SR) on their facial skin. SR was limited to 3 hours per night for 2 consecutive nights. We assessed the following parameters at the same time of day, before and after SR: sebumetry (Sebumeter SM 815), hydration (Corneometer CM 825), trans-epidermal water loss (Tewameter TM 210), biomechanical properties (Cutometer MPA 580), pH (PH-meter 900), desquamation quantification (D-Squameter and microscopy), and image analysis (ColorFace – Newtone Technologies). We also obtained skin samples (swab) for malondialdehyde quantification (MDA).
Results
We observed that some skin parameters are significantly associated with SR in both the morning and afternoon, including: lower hydration (p<0.001), increased trans-epidermal water loss (PIE) (p<0.001), and decreased extensibility (Uf; p =0.015) and elasticity (Uv; p<0.001) of the skin. The average pH decreased from 4.8 (±0.2) to 4.7 ± 0.4; p<0.001.
For face photography, brightness and saturation also significantly decreased with SR in mornings and afternoons (p<0.001 for all tests).
Finally, we observed a significant decrease in free cells after desquamation associated with SR (p<0.001 for all tests). SR was also associated with significantly increased MDA levels (p<0.001 for all tests).
Conclusions
Two nights of SR significantly altered the skin and facial appearances in our test group of typically good-sleeping women.