A thermographic study of the effect of body composition and ambient temperature on the accuracy of mean skin temperature calculations

The problem associated with using measurements from a small number of sites to determine mean skin temperature was investigated by studying variations in distributions of skin temperatures of the bare torsos of humans exposed to ambient temperatures of 18, 23, and 28° C. Following a 60 minute equilibration period the temperatures of four regions (chest, abdomen, upper back, and lower back) were measured using both thermistors and an infra-red thermographic system. Regions of the torso usually represented by a single temperature exhibited significant point-to-point temperature variations especially in chilled subjects. Also an earlier finding was confirmed: in that larger variations in skin temperature distributions occur as body fat content increases. Caution must therefore be used in applying the concept of a mean skin temperature derived from a few select sites, especially with nude subjects who are chilled or have a high body fat content.