Imaging of Skin Dermal Thermal Damage by Multiphoton Autofluroescence and Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) Microscopy

摘要

Multiphoton autofluorescence and second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy are useful in respectively identifying elastin and collagen fibers within the skin dermis. In this study, we attempt to characterize the degree of skin thermal damage by using multiphoton microscopy to characterize the thermal changes to collagen and elastin fibers. We found that autofluorescence and SHG imaging behave differently in skin dermis treated with different temperatures and that an index reflecting the relative changes in autofluorescence and SHG intensity is useful to identify the degree of dermal thermal damage to the skin. With additional development, our approach can be used to identify the extent of thermal damage in patients.