Noninvasive Methods for the Quantification of Skin Functions

Noninvasive methods are gaining increasingly in influence and acceptance. This is also true in the field of dermatology, where it is no longer necessary to take biopsies in order to make statements, e.g., on the size of a skin tumor, on the epidermal water content, on the elasticity of the skin. Peter Frosch and Albert M. Kligman have managed to bring together international authors for the first time in one book, each of them a master of "his" investigation method.

I: The Basics: Methodology.- The Surface of the Skin - The Microrelief.- Quantitative Analysis of the Skin's Surface by Digital Signal Processing.- Noninvasive Methods for the Determination of Skin Hydration.- Transepidermal Water Loss Measurement by Means of an Evaporimeter.- Simultaneous Measurement of Thickness and Compressibility of a Skin Fold.- Sebum Analysis Using a Hydrophobic Lipid-Absorbent Tape (Sebutape).- Colorimetric Evaluation of the Human Skin Blanching Assay.- High-Frequency Ultrasound: ANonivasive Method for Use in Dermatology.- II: Clinical Applications.- Objective Assessment of Human Skin Reaction to Sun and UV-B.- Mechanical Measurements in Assessing Aging.- The Effect of Aging on the Barrier Function of Human Skin Evaluated by In Vivo Transepidermal Water Loss Measurements.- In Vivo Study on Age-Related Elastic Properties of Human Skin.- Ultrasound - An Update on Methodology and Application with Special References to Inflammatory Reactions.- Biophysical Techniques for the Evaluation of Skin Protective Creams.- Assessing Treatment of Psoriasis and Eczema by Noninvasive Methods.- Use of Noninvasive Methods in Evaluating Different Treatments of Psoriasis and the Effects of UV Exposure on Normal Skin.- A Novel Fluorimetric Method to Investigate Sebaceous Glands in Humans.- Assessing Impaired Blood Supply of the Skin in Peripheral Arterial Occlusion Using Heat Flow Calorimetry.- Transcutaneous Oxygen Pressure Measurement: Methods, Implementation, and Possible Applications.- Methodology and Application of Fluorescence Techniques in Dermatology.- Quantitative Assessment of Scaling in Winter Xerosis Using Image Analysis of Adhesive-Coated Disks (D-Squames).