Abstract
The superficial qualities of skin are easily discernible if seen with the naked eye or through a microscope. However, in order to observe skin condition in greater detail, it is essential to quantitatively analyze skin characteristics in some way. This paper introduces a quantitative method for analyzing images to determine the status of melanin and microcirculatory blood flow using non-contact spectral polarization imaging techniques useful in the field of cosmetic dermatology and functional cosmetics. A cutaneous image, which is taken using ultraviolet or blue-green light, could display the distribution of melanin and blood as light-absorbing components by further applying a unique component analysis. For example, a flash of ultraviolet light can allow one to observe the state of melanin, which is difficult to analyze using visible light. In addition, the state of a capillary network can also be analyzed by observing the absorption of blue-green light which is incident on the skin. As a result of scalp observation using a BSP-1A capillary scope, microcirculation (capillaries) was observed at a site with a lot of hair; however, microcirculation was hardly observed at a site with little hair.
