Shedding light on the laser wavelength effect in Raman analysis of skin epidermises

Confocal Raman microspectroscopy is a promising technique which enables measuring the molecular composition of the skin layers, non-destructively and without extrinsic markers. The Raman approach is increasingly used in skin research but with various experimental conditions. In addition to the different skin types, one of the varying parameters is the wavelength of laser excitation. This parameter contributes strongly in the skin Raman response. The present work aimed to evaluate this effect for 3 different wavelengths, 532, 633 and 785 nm, on pig ear skin models. The Raman signal was assessed in the spectral fingerprint region. According to the Raman response for stability, repeatability, variability and fluorescence contribution, the 785 nm excitation wavelength was shown to be the most suitable for epidermis depth profiling in the fingerprint region.