[Age-related changes of the epidermis of men's scalp].

Histological, morphometric and immunocytochemical methods were used to study the autopsy samples of the interfollicular epidermis in the temporal region of scalp of male individuals aged from 7 months to 75 years. Monoclonal antibodies against Ki-67, involucrin and p53 were applied to evaluate the proliferative pool in the epidermis, the thickness of the layer of the cells which started the terminal differentiation, and the fraction of the apoptotic cells. Epidermis in children was thin; it had a low content of Ki-67- and p53-positive cells and small thickness of involucrin-positive cell layer. The highest proliferative activity and maximal thickness of the epidermis were detected at the age of 19-21 years. Thereafter the epidermis thinning was observed, together with the progressive decrease of keratinocyte proliferative activity and an increase of the fraction of p53-positive cells. Absolute thickness of the involucrin-positive cellular layer remained practically constant at different ages, while its proportion in the total epidermal thickness uncreased.