Time course study on the capillary blood flow velocity under the epidermis using micro-tomographic visualizating technique

Abstract

The skin aging process caused by not only aging but also ultraviolet irradiation, could be related to the depression of metabolic function. The microcirculation system should be an important guideline of skin care for anti-aging. Rheological behavior of interstitial in epidermal and dermal tissue, including blood micro-circulation, can vary skin mechanics in micro scale, i.e. visco-elasticity. The purpose of this study is to visualize the tomographic flow velocity of red blood cell in capillaries below human epidermal skin using Optical Coherence Doppler Velocigraphy (OCDV). In order to validate OCDV system, this was in vivo applied to human forearm skin just after releasing a tourniquet. Consequently, time course of capillary blood flow velocity, visualized by OCDV system, could be evaluated tomographically in terms of reperfusion around epidermis and dermis.