Stratum Corneum is the outer covering of the body, which serves as a barrier to infection. The composition of the skin changes withexternal environmental factors, such as temperature, sun irradiation, air pollutants, chemical hazards, as well as other factors.Solar radiation,especially IR radiation is being used as medicine for wound healing processes, in cosmetology, in physiotherapy and warming of muscles. Also, it was reported that the IR radiation produces free radicals and the excess production of free radicals causes irreversible damages. It has been reported that heat may be transmitted by IR radiation, which results in raised skin temperature and the chronic heat exposure of human skin may cause alterations. Erythema igne is one such disease known to be caused by chronic heat exposure. Many techniques have been adopted for monitoring the changes in the skin, which includes the tape stripping and biopsy as the primary methodology. However, these in vitro techniques are invasive, time consuming, and may not provide the actual information as in in vivo conditions. Confocal Raman spectroscopy,which is non-invasive and real time was considered as a potential tool for the in vivo analysis of the distribution and characteristics of different metabolic conditions and their variations of the skin. In this regard, we aimed at in vivo characterization of the IR induced changes in the stratum corneum of human volunteers. The results of Raman spectral signatures with respect to the control and IR exposed skin will be discussed.

Date Published: 1 May 2017
PDF: 1 pages
Proc. SPIE 10060, Optical Biopsy XV: Toward Real-Time Spectroscopic Imaging and Diagnosis, 1006005 (1 May 2017); doi: 10.1117/12.2252511

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10060:
Optical Biopsy XV: Toward Real-Time Spectroscopic Imaging and Diagnosis
Robert R. Alfano; Stavros G. Demos, Editor(s)