New Non-Invasive Optical Techniques Render Images Below Skin's Surface

The Journal of Biomedical Optics published by SPIE recently featured new non-invasive optical techniques that render images from beneath the surface of the skin. Techniques—lasers, light-emitting diodes, and spectroscopic methods—may be used in a wide variety of medical and cosmetic applications such as treating burns, identifying cancer, or expediting wound healing. Optical imaging methods are becoming increasingly popular in the field of pharmacology, specifically for investigating the penetration of topically applied substances into and through the skin barrier. Other uses are imaging blood flow and analyzing the wound healing processes.