Morphological parametric mapping of 21 skin sites throughout the body using optical coherence tomography

Changes in body posture cause changes in morphological properties at different skin sites. Although previous studies have reported the thickness of the skin, the details of the postures are not generally given. This paper presents the effect of a change in posture on parameters such as thickness and surface roughness in 21 load-bearing and non-load-bearing sites.

A total of 12 volunteers (8 males and 4 females) were selected in an age group of 18-35 years and of Fitzpatrick skin type I-III. Images were captured using a clinically-approved VivoSight® optical coherence tomography system and analysed using an algorithm provided by Michelson Diagnostics.

Overextension (extending joints to full capacity) resulted in changes to thickness, roughness and undulation of the skin around the body.

The load-bearing regions have thicker skin compared to non-load-bearing sites. This is the first time that undulation topography of the stratum corneum-stratum lucidum and the dermal-epidermal junction layers have been measured and reported using statistical values such as Ra. The data presented could help to define new skin layer models and to determine the variability of the skin around the body and between participants.