Solid optical tissue phantoms (OTPs) have been widely used for many purposes. This study introduces a spin-coating method (SCM) to fabricate a thin-layer solid OTP (TSOTP) with epidermal thickness. TSOTPs are fabricated by controlling the spin speed (250 to 2500 rpm), absorber concentration (0.2% to 1.0%), and the number of layers. The results show that the thicknesses of the TSOTPs are homogeneous in the region of interest. The one-layer TSOTP achieves maximum and minimum thicknesses of 65±0.28 μm (250 rpm) and 5.1±0.17 μm (2500 rpm), respectively, decreasing exponentially as a function of the spin speed. The thicknesses of the multilayer TSOTPs increases as a function of the number of layers and are correlated strongly with the spin speed (R2≥0.95). The concentration of the OTP mixture does not directly affect the thickness of the TSOTP; however, the absorption coefficients exponentially increase as a function of absorber concentration (R2≥0.98). These results suggest that the SCM can be used to fabricate homogeneous TSOTPs with various thicknesses by controlling the spin speed and number of layers. Finally, a double-layer OTP that combines epidermal TSOTP and dermal OTP is manufactured as a preliminary study to investigate the practical feasibility of TSOTPs.

Although low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has been a valuable therapeutic technology in the clinic, its efficacy may be reduced in deep tissue layers due to strong light scattering which limits the photon density. In order to enhance the photon density in deep tissue layers, this study developed an optical tissue clearing (OTC) laser probe (OTCLP) system which can utilize four different OTC methods: 1) tissue temperature control from 40 to 10℃; 2) laser pulse frequency from 5 to 30 Hz; 3) glycerol injection at a local region; and 4) a combination of the aforementioned three methods. The efficacy of the OTC methods was evaluated and compared by investigating laser beam profiles in ex-vivo porcine skin samples. Results demonstrated that total (peak) intensity at full width at half maximum of laser beam profile when compared to control data was increased: 1) 1.21(1.39)-fold at 10℃; 2) 1.22 (1.49)-fold at a laser pulse frequency of 5 Hz; 3) 1.64 (2.41)-fold with 95% glycerol injection; 4) 1.86 (3.4)-fold with the combination method. In conclusion, the OTCLP system successfully improved the laser photon density in deep tissue layers and may be utilized as a useful tool in LLLT by increasing laser photon density.

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Skin erythema has been widely used as a diagnostic parameter in dermatology. This study describes a methodology for real-time measurement of skin erythema variation induced by negative compression. This study developed an optical measurement probe, which includes a RGB color sensor that translates in the vertical direction, with the magnitude of vertical translation dependening on the amount of skin deformation. Real-time measurement of erythema variation as a function of both negative compression and time was performed in vivo on 10 measurement sites located on the back of each of 12 volunteers who participated in this study. Negative compression was sequentially applied from -30 to -80 kPa and continuously at a constant magnitude (-80 kPa) condition. The results showed that skin erythema was uniformly induced at the measurement sites and linearly increased as a function of both negative compression and time. A wide range of individual variation was noted for skin erythema, which may be due to variations in anisotropic skin properties between volunteers. This study demonstrated the clinical feasibility of a novel optical device for skin erythema measurement. Future studies are needed to investigate the clinical applications of this device.

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