In vivo imaging of human skin: a comparison of optical coherence tomography and confocal laser scanning microscopy

摘要

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) were applied to characterize non-invasively and in vivo the upper layers of human skin on the back of the hand. The techniques enable a detailed determination of the thickness and location of various skin layers in the epidermis and superficial dermis. Due to differences in spatial resolution and penetration depth of these methods, OCT and CLSM give complementary information on the composition and structure of skin. OCT signals of the back of the hand show three reflecting layers at different depth in the skin. A direct comparison with CLSM enables the assignment of these layers: the first one is due to the reflection at the skin surface, the second one appears to be caused by the reflection at the basal epidermal layer and the third layer can be ascribed to reflection at fibrous structure in the upper dermis. A comparison of methods reveals a consistent interpretation of the images.