Oxygen tensions, cutaneous blood flow rate, and skin oxygen consumption rate were determined by tc-PO2 measurements at an electrode temperature of 45 degrees C. The epidermal surface was stripped by 50 applications of adhesive plaster to the surface. Ten healthy, normotensive adults were examined. Cutaneous blood flow rate was 41.2 +/- 8.6 ml X (100 g)-1 X min-1 before and 42.8 +/- 5.9 ml X (100 g)-1 X min-1 after epidermal stripping. Oxygen consumption before stripping was 0.327 +/- 0.065 ml O2 X (100 g)-1 X min-1, and after stripping it was determined at two different saturation levels to be 0.208 +/- 0.072 ml O2 X (100 g)-1 X min-1 and 0.251 +/- 0.096 ml O2 X (100 g)-1 X min-1. Capillary temperature was estimated to be approximately 43 degrees C before and after stripping. At this temperature mean arterial PO2 was estimated to be 18.1 kPa (136 mmHg), which would be reduced by the computed local metabolism to a mean capillary PO2 of 14.4 kPa (108 mmHg) before stripping and 15.2 kPa (114 mmHg) after. Stripping increased mean skin PO2 from 10.9 +/- 0.6 kPa (82.3 +/- 4.7 mmHg) to 14.6 +/- 1.0 kPa (109.4 +/- 7.7 mmHg). Thus, stripping eliminated 82% of the gradient between the capillaries and electrode while reducing the computed oxygen consumption by 23-36%. It is concluded that the epidermal membrane is a significant barrier to oxygen diffusion and that the transcutaneous oxygen electrode has a significant effect on skin PO2 owing to its own even low oxygen consumption. This will reduce the observed skin PO2 significantly.