Modelling the mechanical response of skin in vivo using the Bossinesq and the Michell stress functions

Local strains acting across an area of skin loaded uniaxially in vivo are converted to stresses using the standard elastic formulae. The stress values are compared to those obtained using the classical Bossinesq and Michell stress functions. The results indicate that these functions are capable of describing the response of the skin, both in the low load and the high load regions.