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Optical Properties of Skin Surface

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Measuring the Skin

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Abstract

The interactions of light with the skin surface are controlled by its intrinsic optical properties. In this chapter, we examine these properties from a first-principles point of view, i.e., we focus on the main light-attenuation agents acting within healthy cutaneous tissues. The mechanisms of light attenuation, namely, scattering and absorption, alter the spatial and spectral profiles of the light traveling within the various skin layers. Accordingly, we review the roles of scatterers and absorbers present in the skin tissues with respect to their spatial and spectral light-attenuation domains and discuss their interplay through light sieve and detour effects. We also concisely describe the roles of key light-emission (fluorescence) agents found in the skin tissues. The chapter closes with an overview of practical challenges related to the advance of research on skin optical properties.

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Abbreviations

COHb:

Carboxyhemoglobin

HHb:

Deoxyhemoglobin

MetHb:

Methemoglobin

NADH:

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide

O2Hb:

Oxyhemoglobin

SHb:

Sulfhemoglobin

UVR:

Ultraviolet radiation

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Phenomena Simulation Group, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Gladimir V. G. Baranoski & Tenn F. Chen

Authors
  1. Gladimir V. G. Baranoski
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  2. Tenn F. Chen
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Correspondence to Gladimir V. G. Baranoski .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medecine Vasculaire Lab. Ingénierie et de Biologie Cutanées, CHU Besancon Service Dermatologie et, Besancon, France

    Philippe Humbert

  2. San Francisco, California, USA

    Howard Maibach

  3. Department of Dermatology, Saint Jacques University Hospital, Besançon, France

    Ferial Fanian

  4. Univ. Besançon Dépt. Dermatologie, Besançon, France

    Pierre Agache

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Baranoski, G.V.G., Chen, T.F. (2015). Optical Properties of Skin Surface. In: Humbert, P., Maibach, H., Fanian, F., Agache, P. (eds) Measuring the Skin. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26594-0_9-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26594-0_9-1

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