Depth-Dependent Color-Coded Optical Attenuation Coefficient Imaging: Assisted Examination Methods of Facial...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Dermatology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Facial microcirculation decline affects skin health, leading to blood stagnation and metabolic issues.
• Skin optical properties, such as scattering and attenuation, are influenced by microcirculatory changes.
• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique for visualizing subsurface tissue structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between facial microcirculation and optical parameters.
• To explore the correlation between blood flow and optical attenuation coefficient (OAC) in different skin layers.
• To develop an enhanced imaging method for visualizing facial microcirculation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized high-resolution swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) for imaging.
• Analyzed correlations between blood flow measurements and optical attenuation coefficients (OAC) in epidermal and dermal layers.
• Developed and implemented a depth-encoded color OAC imaging mode.

Main Results:

• A negative correlation was observed between epidermal OAC and blood flow (r = -0.29 ± 0.03).
• A positive correlation was found between dermal OAC and blood flow (r = -0.43 ± 0.06).
• The novel depth-encoded color OAC imaging mode improved microcirculation visualization without extra scanning.

Conclusions:

• Established mechanistic insights into microcirculation-related skin deterioration.
• Demonstrated that OAC varies with blood flow across skin depths.
• Introduced a novel clinical tool for diagnosing and managing skin conditions linked to microcirculation.