Estimation of age by epidermal image processing

Small pieces of human precordial skin were obtained from 266 individuals during autopsy performed in Osaka Prefecture. The area from the stratum corneum to the stratum basale in a unit area of the epidermal cross-section was extracted as a segmented area of white image by image processing. The number of pixels surrounding this area was measured in individuals of various ages, and the age-associated changes were evaluated. The number of pixels around this binary image in the epidermal cross-section showed a strong correlation with age. The number tended to decrease with an increase in age in individuals aged 20 years and above, which could be closely approximated by an exponential function. A formula for estimating age was obtained as an inverse function of the number of pixels and age, and the accuracy of estimation using this formula was examined by comparing the estimated age with the actual age. Such age-associated changes in the epidermis were considered to be closely related with increased roughening of the stratum basale, flattening of dermal papillae, and a decreased percentage of the stratum granulosum per unit area of epidermis observed by light microscopy or scanning electron microscopy.