Bioengineering of the skin, or more precisely the biophysical assessment of skin physiology, is moving rapidly from a descriptive approach to a deeper understanding of biophysical and biochemical processes. This second edition of the popular text Bioengineering of the Skin: Water and Stratum Corneum reflects the progress in the field, focusing on the dramatically improved understanding of skin physiology. Specifically, it reviews the shift in our understanding of the stratum corneum from an inert surrounding sheet to a biologically active compartment.

The stratum corneum is the interface...