title: Multiphoton fluorescence lifetime imaging of human hair.
abstract: In vivo and in vitro multiphoton imaging was used to perform high resolution optical sectioning of human hair by nonlinear excitation of endogenous as well as exogenous fluorophores. Multiphoton fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) based on time-resolved single photon counting and near-infrared femtosecond laser pulse excitation was employed to analyze the various fluorescent hair components. Time-resolved multiphoton imaging of intratissue pigments has the potential (i) to identify endogenous keratin and melanin, (ii) to obtain information on intrahair dye accumulation, (iii) to study bleaching effects, and (iv) to monitor the intratissue diffusion of pharmaceutical and cosmetical components along hair shafts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microsystems/Laser Medicine, Fraunhofer Institute of Biomedical Technology (IBMT), Ensheimer Strasse 48, D-66386 St. Ingbert, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ehlers
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Riemann
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stark
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: König
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005542:Forearm; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006200:Hair Color; D006801:Humans; D036641:Microscopy, Fluorescence, Multiphoton / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged