Photoacoustic measurement of epidermal melanin

John A. Viator; Lars Othar Svaasand; Guillermo Aguilar; Bernard Choi; J. Stuart Nelson M.D.

doi:10.1117/12.477648

1 July 2003 Photoacoustic measurement of epidermal melanin

John A. Viator, Lars Othar Svaasand, Guillermo Aguilar, Bernard Choi, J. Stuart Nelson M.D.

Proceedings Volume 4960, Biomedical Optoacoustics IV; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.477648
Event: Biomedical Optics, 2003, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

Most dermatologic laser procedures must consider epidermal melanin, as it is a broadband optical absorber which affects subsurface fluence, effectively limiting the amount of light reaching the dermis and targeted chromophores. An accurate method for quantifying epidermal melanin content would aid clinicians in determining proper light dosage for therapeutic laser procedures. While epidermal melanin content has been quantified non-invasively using optical methods, there is currently no way to determine the melanin distribution in the epidermis. We have developed a photoacoustic probe that uses a Q-switched, frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser operating at 532nm to generate acoustic pulses in skin in vivo. The probe contained a piezoelectric element that detected photoacoustic waves which were then analyzed for epidermal melanin content, using a photoacoustic melanin index (PAMI). We tested 15 human subjects with skin types I--VI using the photoacoustic probe. We also present photoacoustic data for a human subject with vitiligo. Photoacoustic measurement showed melanin in the vitiligo subject was almost completely absent.

Citation Download Citation

John A. Viator, Lars Othar Svaasand, Guillermo Aguilar, Bernard Choi, and J. Stuart Nelson M.D. "Photoacoustic measurement of epidermal melanin", Proc. SPIE 4960, Biomedical Optoacoustics IV, (1 July 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.477648

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