Regional Female Cutaneous Vasodilation

This data was used to explore regional differences and potential age effects in cutaneous vascular conductance (%CVCmax) during local heating in young and older females. Differences in %CVCmax between and within age groups were evaluated at baseline, the initial vasodilator peak, and both the 39°C and 42°C heating plateaus. In young females, responses were similar across regions with the exception that %CVCmax was reduced for the abdomen across heating phases relative to other regions. In contrast, calf responses in older females were greater compared to other regions during the 39°C plateau only . %CVCmax was greater at the abdomen during the 42°C plateau for older females compared to young. Similarly, responses pooled across sites were significantly different.