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The effect of skin phototype on laser propagation through skin

Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012.

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Other Authors: Braun, Max Willi Hermann
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Published: University of Pretoria 2013
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Braun, Max Willi Hermann
author_browse Braun, Max Willi Hermann
author_facet Braun, Max Willi Hermann
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2012 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
format Thesis
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institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:36:50.456Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2013
publishDateRange 2013
publishDateSort 2013
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
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source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/24272 The effect of skin phototype on laser propagation through skin Braun, Max Willi Hermann akarsten@csir.co.za Karsten, Aletta Elizabeth Calibrated computer model Laser fluence rate Ray-tracing Skin modelling Skin phototype Asap Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy Optical properties of skin UCTD Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. The use of lasers for diagnosis and treatment in medical and cosmetic applications is increasing worldwide. Not all of these modalities are superficial and many require laser light to penetrate some distance into the tissue or skin to reach the treatment site. Human skin is highly scattering for light in the visible and near infrared wavelength regions, with a consequent reduction of the fluence rate. Melanin, which occurs in the epidermis of the skin, acts as an absorber in these wavelength regions and further reduces the fluence rate of light that penetrates through the epidermis to a treatment site. In vivo fluence rate measurements are not viable, but validated and calibrated computer models may play a role in predicting the fluence rate reaching the treatment site. A layered planar computer model to predict laser fluence rate at some depth into skin was developed in a commercial raytracing environment (ASAP). The model describes the properties of various skin layers and accounts for both the absorption and scattering taking place in the skin. The model was validated with optical measurements on skin-simulating phantoms in both reflectance and transmission configurations. It was shown that a planar epidermal/dermal interface is adequate for simulation purposes. In the near infrared wavelength region (676 nm), melanin (consisting of eumelanin and pheomelanin) is the major absorber of light in the epidermis. The epidermal absorption coefficient is one of the required input parameters for the computer model. The range of absorption coefficients expected for typical South African skin phototypes (ranging from photo-sensitive light skin, phototype I on the Fitzpatrick scale, to the photo-insensitive darker skin phototype V) was not available. Non-invasive diffuse reflectance spectroscopy measurements were done on 30 volunteers to establish the expected range of absorption coefficients. In the analysis it became apparent that the contributions of the eumelanin and pheomelanin must be accounted for separately, specifically for the Asian volunteers. This is a new concept that was introduced in the diffuse reflectance probe analysis. These absorption coefficient measurements were the first to be done on the expected range of skin phototypes for the South African population. Other authors dealing with diffuse reflectance probe analysis only account for the dominant eumelanin. Both the epidermal absorption coefficient and thickness are important in the prediction of the fluence rate loss. The computer model was used to evaluate the effect of the epidermal absorption coefficient (a parameter dictated by an individual’s skin phototype) and the epidermal thickness on the fluence rate loss through the skin. The epidermal absorption is strongly wavelength dependent with the higher absorption at the shorter wavelengths. In the computer model a longer wavelength of 676 nm (typical for a photodynamic treatment (PDT) of cancer) was used. For the darker skin phototypes (V) only about 30% of the initial laser fluence rate reached a depth of 200 ìm into the skin (just into the dermis). For the PDT application, results from the computer model indicated that treatment times need to be increased by as much as 50% for very dark skin phototypes when compared to that of very light phototypes. Physics unrestricted 2013-09-06T17:01:16Z 2013-05-17 2013-09-06T17:01:16Z 2013-04-17 2012 2013-05-01 Thesis Karsten, AE 2012, The effect of skin phototype on laser propagation through skin, PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24272 > D13/4/520/ag http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24272 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05012013-141651/ © 2012 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle Calibrated computer model
Laser fluence rate
Ray-tracing
Skin modelling
Skin phototype
Asap
Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy
Optical properties of skin
UCTD
The effect of skin phototype on laser propagation through skin
title The effect of skin phototype on laser propagation through skin
title_full The effect of skin phototype on laser propagation through skin
title_fullStr The effect of skin phototype on laser propagation through skin
title_full_unstemmed The effect of skin phototype on laser propagation through skin
title_short The effect of skin phototype on laser propagation through skin
title_sort effect of skin phototype on laser propagation through skin
topic Calibrated computer model
Laser fluence rate
Ray-tracing
Skin modelling
Skin phototype
Asap
Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy
Optical properties of skin
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24272
http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05012013-141651/