title: Morphology and epidermal thickness of normal skin imaged by optical coherence tomography.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an optical imaging technology with a potential in the non-invasive diagnosis of skin cancer. To identify skin pathologies using OCT, it is of prime importance to establish baseline morphological features of normal skin.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to describe normal skin morphology using OCT and polarization-sensitive OCT (PS-OCT), which is a way of representing birefringent tissue such as collagen in OCT images. Anatomical locations in 20 healthy volunteers were imaged, and epidermal thickness (ET) was measured and compared to age, gender and skin colour.
  
  
  METHODS
  OCT imaging is based on infrared light reflection/backscatter from tissue. PS-OCT detects birefringence of tissue. Imaging was performed in 12 skin regions. ET was calculated from the OCT images.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Normal skin has a layered structure. Layering is less pronounced in adults. In glabrous skin the stratum corneum is visible. Children had larger ET (p < 0.0001). Age had a negative correlation with ET (p < 0.05). No gender- or skin-type-related differences in ET were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study contributes to understanding OCT and PS-OCT images of normal skin and indicates that OCT can be used for both the qualitative and quantitative assessment of skin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Roskilde Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Roskilde, Denmark. rsmmog@ra.dk
authors.forename: Mette
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mogensen
authors.forename: Hanan A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Morsy
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thrane
authors.forename: Gregor B E
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Jemec
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001718:Birefringence; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004817:Epidermis / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012867:Skin / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012880:Skin Pigmentation; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*