Dermatology and Skin Cancer Unit, 1st Medical Department, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Skin Res Technol. 2013 Feb;19(1):e167-73. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0846.2012.00623.x. Epub 2012 Jun 7.
Many instrumental devices have been testing in analysing and quantifying the skin aging signs. However, histopathology still remains the only methods that allow a microscopic assessment of the skin. However, a skin biopsy is not feasible in aesthetically critical areas such as the face. Recently, confocal microscopy has been discovered as a noninvasive tool with a nearly histologic resolution. Distinct morphologic confocal aspects on facial skin have been described and correlated with the histopathologic counterparts.
In our study we aim to develop an easy to use confocal aging score to quantify the skin aging related signs.
A sample of facial skin of fifty volunteers has been subjected to confocal imaging. Combining the previously identified confocal features, three different semi-quantitative scores were calculated: - epidermal disarray score (irregular honeycombed pattern + epidermal thickness + furrow pattern); - epidermal hyperplasia score (mottled pigmentation + extent of polycyclic papillary + epidermal thickness; - collagen score (curled fibers, 2 for huddles of collagen, 1 for coarse collagen structures, and 0 for thin reticulated collagen)
The epidermal disarray score showed a stable trend up to 65 years and a dramatic increase in the elderly subjects epidermal. Hyperplasia score was characterized by an ascending trend from younger subjects to middle age. The total collagen score showed a progressive trend with age with a different proportion of distinct collagen type.
RCM is a powerful, noninvasive technique that could permit to microscopically quantify the aging signs and to test cosmetic efficacy.
许多仪器设备已被用于分析和量化皮肤老化迹象。然而，组织病理学仍然是唯一允许对皮肤进行微观评估的方法。然而，在面部等美学关键区域进行皮肤活检是不可行的。最近，共聚焦显微镜已被发现是一种具有近乎组织学分辨率的非侵入性工具。已经描述了面部皮肤的明显形态共聚焦方面，并与组织病理学相对应。
在我们的研究中，我们旨在开发一种易于使用的共聚焦老化评分来量化与皮肤老化相关的迹象。
对五十名志愿者的面部皮肤进行共聚焦成像。结合先前确定的共聚焦特征，计算了三个不同的半定量评分：表皮紊乱评分（不规则蜂巢状图案+表皮厚度+皱纹图案）；表皮增生评分（斑驳色素沉着+多环乳头状延伸+表皮厚度）；胶原评分（卷曲纤维，2 表示胶原簇，1 表示粗糙胶原结构，0 表示细网状胶原）。
表皮紊乱评分在 65 岁之前呈稳定趋势，在老年受试者中急剧增加。增生评分表现为从年轻受试者到中年的上升趋势。总胶原评分随年龄呈渐进趋势，不同比例的胶原类型不同。
RCM 是一种强大的非侵入性技术，可以允许对老化迹象进行微观量化，并测试化妆品的功效。
