Using a portable terahertz spectrometer to measure the optical properties of in vivo human skin
2013
Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) systems are capable of detecting small differences in water
concentration levels in biological tissues. This feature makes THz devices excellent tools for the noninvasive assessment
of skin; however, most conventional systems prove too cumbersome for limited-space environments. We previously
demonstrated that a portable, compact THz spectrometer permitted measurement of porcine skin optical properties that
were comparable to those collected with conventional systems. In order to move toward human use of this system, the
goal for this study was to collect the optical properties, specifically the absorption coefficient (μ a ) and index of refraction
(n), of human subjects in vivo. Spectra were collected from 0.1-2 THz, and measurements were made on the palm,
ventral (inner) and dorsal (outer) forearm. Prior to each THz measurement, we used a multiprobe adapter system to
measure each subject’s skin hydration levels, transepidermal waterloss (TEWL), skin color, and degree of melanin
pigmentation. Our results suggest that the measured optical properties were wide-ranging, and varied considerably for
skin tissues with different hydration and melanin levels. These data provide a novel framework for accurate human
tissue measurements using THz spectrometers in limited-space environments.
Keywords:
- Correction
- Source
- Cite
- Save
- Machine Reading By IdeaReader
15
References
5
Citations
NaN
KQI