Age-related changes of the human skin surface microrelief

In the present study we describe an original semi-automated image analysis method to quantitate the changes of the geometric properties of cutaneous microrelief with age. The skin surface is composed of very fine lines intersecting each other and forming polygons. The number, average size, perimeter and equivalent diameter of these polygons were quantified on replicas of 190 persons, 101 females and 89 males, from 6 months to 95 years of age. A good correlation was found between the age of the subjects and these four parameters. The evolution of these parameters was not linear but could be best described by a polynomial equation of fourth order for the number of polygons per field, and by an exponential equation for the three other parameters: average surface, perimeter and equivalent diameter of the polygons. A few details of the evolution with age of the skin surface patterns were different for males and females.