Introduction: Hong-Kong population is very homogenous containing a majority (98.2%) of inhabitants of Asian ethnicity. Pollution and stressful environment influence the status of different skin categories and can cause fragility of epidermis. This epidemiologic study was set up to assess the prevalence of perceived fragile skin across different skin types in a general adult population in Hong Kong and to identify skin characteristics associated with perceived fragile skin.
Method: A cross-sectional subject survey was conducted in Hong Kong on a representative sample of 606 adult individuals with a mean age of 40.2 years old and a sex ratio of 1:1. This online questionnaire, based on quota method on gender, age and geographical regions was self-administered. Descriptive statistics were performed globally but also by gender, age category and perceived fragile skin.
Result: 42.1% of subjects reported having easily wrinkled skin and more than one third reported having a thin skin aspect. 65.5% of subjects perceived their skin as fragile. These subjects are more prone to skin diseases. Indeed 55.2% of them had been affected by acne and 45.1% by eczema when theses pathologies affect, respectively 25.4% and 17.7% of non-fragile skin subjects. Subject with fragile skin also have a better perception of their environment, indeed 73% of them considered their environment to be polluted and 75% stressful against, respectively 43.1% and 39.2% for subjects with non-fragile skin.
Conclusion: The prevalence of perceived fragile skin in Hong-Kong inhabitants is one of the highest in the world. Pollution and stress are most frequently indicated factor leading to fragility of epidermis (62.7% and 62.5%, respectively).
