An assessment was made of the ultrastructural changes in the epidermis of clipped rat skin following six washings over 3 days with 1% sodium lauryl sulphate. Findings included deposition of lipid in most cells, marked spongiosis and vcsiculation, partial detachment of basal cells from the basal lamina, isolated rupture of the basal lamina, condensation of tonofibrils within cells of the stratum basale and stratum spinosum, protein deposition between the deeper epidermal cells (epidermal oedema/blister formation) and thickening of the epidermis and stratum corneum. There was a reduction in the number of keratohyalin granules, with no change in their structure or average size. A 1% solution of sodium lauryl sulphate can cause marked general damage to the epidermis of clipped rat skin under the conditions described above.

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