Research Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University of London, London EC1V 0HB, UK.
Sensors (Basel). 2024 Feb 22;24(5):1419. doi: 10.3390/s24051419.
Human skin acts as a protective barrier, preserving bodily functions and regulating water loss. Disruption to the skin barrier can lead to skin conditions and diseases, emphasizing the need for skin hydration monitoring. The gold-standard sensing method for assessing skin hydration is the Corneometer, monitoring the skin's electrical properties. It relies on measuring capacitance and has the advantage of precisely detecting a wide range of hydration levels within the skin's superficial layer. However, measurement errors due to its front end requiring contact with the skin, combined with the bipolar configuration of the electrodes used and discrepancies due to variations in various interfering analytes, often result in significant inaccuracy and a need to perform measurements under controlled conditions. To overcome these issues, we explore the merits of a different approach to sensing electrical properties, namely, a tetrapolar bioimpedance sensing approach, with the merits of a novel optical sensing modality. Tetrapolar bioimpedance allows for the elimination of bipolar measurement errors, and optical spectroscopy allows for the identification of skin water absorption peaks at wavelengths of 970 nm and 1450 nm. Employing both electrical and optical sensing modalities through a multimodal approach enhances skin hydration measurement sensitivity and validity. This layered approach may be particularly beneficial for minimising errors, providing a more robust and comprehensive tool for skin hydration assessment. An ex vivo desorption experiment was carried out on fresh porcine skin, and an in vivo indicative case study was conducted utilising the developed optical and bioimpedance sensing devices. Expected outcomes were expressed from both techniques, with an increase in the output of the optical sensor voltage and a decrease in bioimpedance as skin hydration decreased. MLR models were employed, and the results presented strong correlations (R-squared = 0.996 and -value = 6.45 × 10), with an enhanced outcome for hydration parameters when both modalities were combined as opposed to independently, highlighting the advantage of the multimodal sensing approach for skin hydration assessment.
人体皮肤起到保护屏障的作用,维持身体功能并调节水分流失。皮肤屏障的破坏会导致皮肤状况和疾病,强调需要监测皮肤水合作用。评估皮肤水合作用的金标准传感方法是 Corneometer,监测皮肤的电特性。它依赖于测量电容,具有精确检测皮肤浅层广泛水合水平的优势。然而,由于前端需要与皮肤接触,以及电极使用的双极配置和各种干扰分析物变化引起的差异,导致测量误差,因此通常需要在受控条件下进行测量。为了解决这些问题,我们探讨了另一种电特性传感方法的优点,即四极生物阻抗传感方法,并结合了一种新颖的光学传感模式。四极生物阻抗可以消除双极测量误差,而光学光谱学可以识别在 970nm 和 1450nm 波长处的皮肤水吸收峰。通过多模态方法同时使用电和光学传感模式,可以提高皮肤水合测量的灵敏度和有效性。这种分层方法可能特别有利于最小化误差,为皮肤水合评估提供更稳健和全面的工具。在新鲜的猪皮上进行了解吸实验,并且利用开发的光学和生物阻抗传感设备进行了体内指示性案例研究。两种技术都给出了预期的结果,随着皮肤水合作用的降低,光学传感器电压的输出增加,生物阻抗降低。采用多元线性回归模型,结果显示出很强的相关性(R-squared = 0.996 和 - 值 = 6.45 × 10),当两种模式结合使用时,与单独使用相比,水合参数的结果得到了增强,突出了多模态传感方法在皮肤水合评估中的优势。