We present a method to determine chromophore concentrations, blood saturation, and epidermal thickness of human skin from diffuse reflectance spectra. Human skin was approximated as a plane-parallel slab of variable thickness supported by a semi-infinite layer corresponding to the epidermis and dermis, respectively. The absorption coefficient was modeled as a function of melanin content for the epidermis and blood content and oxygen saturation for the dermis. The scattering coefficient and refractive index of each layer were found in the literature. Diffuse reflectance spectra between 490 and $620\mathrm{nm}$ were generated using Monte Carlo simulations for a wide range of melanosome volume fraction, epidermal thickness, blood volume, and oxygen saturation. Then, an inverse method was developed to retrieve these physiologically meaningful parameters from the simulated diffuse reflectance spectra of skin. A previously developed accurate and efficient semiempirical model for diffuse reflectance of two layered media was used instead of time-consuming Monte Carlo simulations. All parameters could be estimated with relative root-mean-squared error of less than 5% for (i) melanosome volume fraction ranging from 1% to 8%, (ii) epidermal thickness from 20 to $150\mathrm{\mu m}$ , (iii) oxygen saturation from 25% to 100%, (iv) blood volume from 1.2% to 10%, and (v) tissue scattering coefficient typical of human skin in the visible part of the spectrum. A similar approach could be extended to other two-layer absorbing and scattering systems.

© 2010 Optical Society of America

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Citation lists with outbound citation links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Figure files are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Article level metrics are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

Related Journal Articles

• Three-dimensional tomographic reconstruction of an absorptive perturbation with diffuse photon density waves (JOSAA)
• Simulation of scanning laser techniques for optical imaging of blood-related intrinsic signals (JOSAA)
• Diffraction tomographic imaging with photon density waves: an explicit solution (JOSAA)
• Three-dimensional photoacoustic imaging of blood vessels in tissue (OL)
• Effect of Multiple Light Paths on Retinal Vessel Oximetry (AO)

Related Conference Papers

• Spatial-Frequency-Domain Imaging for Quality Assessment of Apples
• Techniques for Reflectance-Based Determination of Optical Properties in Highly Attenuating Turbid Media
• The characterization of a two wavelength time-resolved system for the determination of hemoglobin saturation through comparison with continuous wave and frequency domain systems
• The characterization of a two wavelength time-resolved system for the determination of hemoglobin saturation through comparison with continuous wave and frequency domain systems
• Whole body optical imaging without a scattering background