In vivo characterization of viscoelastic properties of human skin using dynamic micro-indentation

The human skin, the interface between the body and the outside environment, has a very complex mechanical behaviour. Knowledge of its in vivo mechanical characteristics is essential to characterize the effects of medical or cosmetic products. The aim of this work is to present a non-invasive device using dynamic indentation to quantify the viscoelastic properties of human skin in vivo. The frequency and strain amplitude are in the range of 10 to 60 Hz and 1 to 10 microm. The results on 4 subjects show that a Kelvin Voigt model describes the mechanical behaviour of in vivo human skin with dynamic indentation well. The frequency average values of stiffness and damping have also been used to compare skin properties. We found a stiffness value of 47.3 to 128.3 N/m, and damping of 0.08 to 0.121 N.s/m, corresponding to a complex modulus of 13.2 to 33.4 kPa. These results show the ability of this device to characterize viscoelastic properties of human skin.