A novel method to measure skin mechanical properties with three-dimensional digital image correlation

Measuring skin mechanical properties has been of great interest in the skincare industry. It is a high accuracy and non-invasive optical technique which quantitatively tracks skin movement and deformation under mechanical perturbations.

A study was conducted with female subjects (25-65 years old). A refined speckle pattern applied onto the skin surface was used for DIC measurements. A unidirectional force pulled the skin at a constant velocity, while the deformation process was quantified by the DIC. Prior to the DIC measurement, Cutometer^® readings were taken on the same area. The DIC protocol's reproducibility across multiple pattern applications, the measurement's repeatability, and the sensitivity in differentiating skin mechanical properties were investigated.

Subjects were clustered with statistical significance according to their skin mechanical properties described by six DIC metrics (μ [major strain], σ [major strain], μ [minor strain], σ [minor strain], μ [displacement], and σ [displacement]). Most measurement random errors are below 6%. This is several folds smaller in magnitude than the difference in the mean response between the clusters. Several Cutometer^® parameters also showed good agreement with μ (displacement).

DIC was able to differentiate skins of different mechanical qualities. We also proposed the physical significance of the DIC metrics. Some of the DIC metrics potentially offer new insights into skin mechanical properties that complement those revealed by conventional instruments. Accurate measurements, large measurement areas along with ease of direct visualization are substantial advantages of DIC.