title: Capillaroscopy and videocapillaroscopy assessment of skin microcirculation: dermatologic and cosmetic approaches.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Different noninvasive bioengineering techniques exist to study the microvasculature of the skin and the dynamics of the microcirculation. The goal of these techniques is to visualize the skin capillary circulation easily and directly. Indeed, this information is irreplaceable to study the physiology and physiopathology of the skin capillary circulation efficiently.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Capillaroscopy and video-capillaroscopy techniques are presented with different methods to study the capillary structure of the skin.
  
  
  METHODS
  The methods presented in this work include image processing analysis combining morphology, statistics, geometry, and neural network detection designed to quantify the microcirculation and to follow its evolution. To illustrate the combination of these techniques and methods, different examples of their application are described, in dermatology (hypertension, venous insufficiency, age-related changes) as well as in cosmetology (rosacea and erythrosis assessment).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The determination of structural or dynamic changes in the cutaneous microcirculation belongs to the noninvasive techniques of the biometrological domain. Thus, every capillary modification resulting from topical cosmetic products, or chemical agents can be observed. In pathology, numerous conditions can be better examined with this system. Associated with the potential of numerical image analysis, capillaroscopy techniques will probably extend their application fields to the assessment of the influence of arterial and venous diseases on the skin nutritional circulation.
authors.affiliation: Cutaneous Engineering and Biology Laboratory, Saint Jacques University Hospital, Besançon, France. dermatologie-1@chu-besancon.fr
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Humbert
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sainthillier
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mac-Mary
authors.forename: Adeline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petitjean
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Creidi
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aubin