Determination of biomechanical parameters of human skin using 3D digital holographic interferometry

• A non-invasive optical method has been developed to distinguish between healthy and damaged Human skin. • Displacements in d x , d y and d z directions are determined using 3D digital holographic interferometry. • The biomechanical properties of the skin tissue are calculated before and after it is subjected to UV radiation. • Changes in the biomechanical properties of skin tissue are used to quantify the damage caused by UV exposure. • The results shown on both healthy and damaged skin provide insight into how UV light dosage affects skin biomechanics. The study of the behavior of the biomechanical properties of tissues involves their characterization under different skin conditions. The research presented herewith uses 3D-digital holographic interferometry (3D-DHI) to determine the displacement along the orthogonal directions d x , d y and d z , that samples of human skin tissue undergo before and after being subjected to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. With these values the strain fields, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio and stiffness of the skin are calculated. Changes in these parameters provide valuable information on tissue injury, such as loss of elasticity and thinning due to radiation dose which are generally correlated with pathologic (injury) state in the tissue. The results presented, in both healthy and damaged skin, provide an insight into how an UV light dose affects skin biomechanics, thus revealing new information about the state of human skin tissue.