In vitro spectrophotometric near infrared measurements of skin absorption and dehydration

The application of Near Infrared Spectroscopy(NIRS) for measuring skin water content has long been established, and has gained w ide interest as a precise, safe, fast and noninvasive technique for determining skin hydration.This paper reports near infrared spectrophotometric measurements using a highly sophisticated spectrophotometer in the region of 1000-2500 nm to study the water uptake and dehydration properties of skin in vitro using samples of porcine skin. Initial results of pure liquid water and skin samples have clearly displayed the prominent bands associated with water content, and desorption tests have been able to verify changes in these bands associated with water content, although a clear correlation between the rates of weight loss and absorbance loss at various hydration periods has not yet been established. These preliminary results are expected to further explain the relationship between water and skin, and its role within, in hope to aid the future development of a portable instrument based on near infrared spectroscopy that would be capable of directly measuring skin hydration and/or water content in a fast and noninvasive manner

Comparing the rates of absorption and weight loss during a desorption test using near infrared spectroscopy

The importance of determining skin hydration has over the years prompt the development of many instruments and methods, specifically designed to assess this parameter or water contents especially in the stratum corneum, and have greatly matured to suit different anatomical sites and measure multiple attributes. Of those, Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) has gained wide interest as a precise, safe, fast and noninvasive technique for determining skin hydration due to its high sensitivity to hydrogen bonding and ability to measure the amount of water in skin directly using the intensities of overtone and combination bands of OH and HOH water bonds occurring in the NIR region, that are good indicators of the state of skin hydration. This paper reports near infrared spectrophotometric measurements using a highly sophisticated spectrophotometer in the region of 1000-2500 nm to study the water uptake and dehydration properties of skin in vitro using samples of porcine skin. Initial results of pure liquid water and skin samples have clearly displayed the prominent bands associated with water content, and desorption tests have been able to verify changes in these bands associated with water content, although a clear correlation between the rates of weight loss and absorbance loss at various hydration periods has not yet been established. These preliminary results are expected to further explain the relationship between water and skin, and its role within, in hope to aid the future development of a portable instrument based on near infrared spectroscopy that would be capable of directly measuring skin hydration and/or water content in a fast and noninvasive manner

In vivo optical investigation of short term skin water contact and moisturizer application using NIR spectroscopy

Nowadays, a number of noninvasive methods and instruments are available to inspect the biophysical properties and effects of various applicants on human skin, providing quantitative measurements and more details regarding the interactions between skin and various products. Such methods include Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS), a technique which over the years, has gained quite a reputation in being able to accurately determine moisture levels and water contents due to its sensitivity to hydrogen bonding. This paper reports preliminary results of an in vivo study carried out on the skin of a small number of human participants, investigating the optical response of human skin after direct short-term contact with water followed by application of a moisturizer, using a highly advanced spectrophotometer in the region of 900-2100nm, and equipped with a reflectance fibre optic probe. Results obtained here certainly raise some questions regarding the optical characteristics of different skin types and the influence of frequent moisturizer use, as well as the varying response between different water bands in the NIR region. Future work will focus on gaining more knowledge about these, in order to further improve optical skin measurements, and hopefully support the design and development of a portable and/or miniaturized optical device that could provide reliable, accurate and fast skin hydration readings in real time

Use of reflectance near-infrared spectroscopy to investigate the effects of daily moisturizer application on skin optical response and barrier function

A number of noninvasive techniques and instruments have emerged over the years allowing much progress toward clarifying the structure and function of human skin and studying the effects of various applied substances. All of this research has provided great insight into the interactions between skin and various products through quantitative and qualitative measurements. Such methods include near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), a technique which has gained popularity over the years and has often been employed to accurately determine the moisture levels and water content of skin based on its sensitivity to hydrogen bonding. NIRS has also been applied in many studies to report the efficacy of moisturizing products and assess their benefits to the skin. However, many of these studies have reported an increase in skin water content following moisturizer application while some have challenged the benefits of long-term moisturizer use, particularly on normal skin, and even suggested that it can increase the skin’s susceptibility to irritants. This paper reports the results of a pilot in vivo study carried out on the skin of 20 healthy volunteers, categorized into groups depending on their skin type and frequency of moisturizer use, in order to investigate the optical response of human skin after direct short-term contact with water followed by application of a moisturizer. The measurements were obtained using a highly advanced spectrophotometer in the region of 900 to 2100 nm equipped with a customized reflectance fiber optic handheld probe. Scatter graphs of group results and second derivative spectra have shown an interesting pattern between frequent users of moisturizers and individuals who do not use moisturizers, suggesting that long-term daily moisturization may have an effect on skin barrier function. The results also raise some questions regarding the optical characteristics of different skin types, as well as the varying response between different water bands in the NIR region. Future work will focus on gaining more knowledge about these subjects and obtaining results from a larger population, as well as performing statistical analysis through regression methods in order to further improve optical skin measurements

Design and Analysis of a Continuous and Non-Invasive Multi-Wavelength Optical Sensor for Measurement of Dermal Water Content

Dermal water content is an important biophysical parameter in preserving skin integrity and preventing skin damage. Traditional electrical-based and open-chamber evaporimeters have several well-known limitations. In particular, such devices are costly, sizeable, and only provide arbitrary outputs. They also do not permit continuous and non-invasive monitoring of dermal water content, which can be beneficial for various consumer, clinical, and cosmetic purposes. We report here on the design and development of a digital multi-wavelength optical sensor that performs continuous and non-invasive measurement of dermal water content. In silico investigation on porcine skin was carried out using the Monte Carlo modeling strategy to evaluate the feasibility and characterize the sensor. Subsequently, an in vitro experiment was carried out to evaluate the performance of the sensor and benchmark its accuracy against a high-end, broad band spectrophotometer. Reference measurements were made against gravimetric analysis. The results demonstrate that the developed sensor can deliver accurate, continuous, and non-invasive measurement of skin hydration through measurement of dermal water content. Remarkably, the novel design of the sensor exceeded the performance of the high-end spectrophotometer due to the important denoising effects of temporal averaging. The authors believe, in addition to wellbeing and skin health monitoring, the designed sensor can particularly facilitate disease management in patients presenting diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, malnutrition, and atopic dermatitis

Design and analysis of a continuous and non-invasive multi-wavelength optical sensor for measurement of dermal water content

Dermal water content is an important biophysical parameter in preserving skin integrity and preventing skin damage. Traditional electrical-based and open-chamber evaporimeters have several well-known limitations. In particular, such devices are costly, sizeable, and only provide arbitrary outputs. They also do not permit continuous and non-invasive monitoring of dermal water content, which can be beneficial for various consumer, clinical and cosmetic purposes. We report here on the design and development of a digital multi-wavelength optical sensor that performs continuous and non-invasive measurement of dermal water content. In-silico investigation on porcine skin was carried out using the Monte Carlo modelling strategy to evaluate the feasibility and characterise the sensor. Subsequently, an in-vitro experiment was carried out to evaluate the performance of the sensor and benchmark its accuracy against a high-end, broad band spectrophotometer. Reference measurements were made against gravimetric analysis. The results demonstrate that the developed sensor can deliver accurate, continuous, and non-invasive measurement of skin hydration through measurement of dermal water content. Remarkably, the novel design of the sensor exceeded the performance of the high-end spectrophotometer due to the important denoising effects of temporal averaging. The authors believe, in addition to wellbeing and skin health monitoring, the designed sensor can particularly facilitate disease management in patients presenting diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, malnutrition, and atopic dermatitis

Effect of physical stimuli on hair follicle deposition of clobetasol-loaded Lipid Nanocarriers

Clobetasol propionate (CLO) is a potent glucocorticoid used to treat inflammation-based skin, scalp, and hair disorders. In such conditions, hair follicles (HF) are not only the target site but can also act as drug reservoirs when certain formulations are topically applied. Recently, we have demonstrated nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) containing CLO presenting epidermal-targeting potential. Here, the focus was evaluating the HF uptake provided by such nanoparticles in comparison to a commercial cream and investigating the influence of different physical stimuli [i.e., infrared (IR) irradiation (with and without metallic nanoparticles-MNP), ultrasound (US) (with and without vibration) and mechanical massage] on their follicular targeting potential. Nanosystems presented sizes around 180 nm (PdI < 0.2) and negative zeta potential. The formulation did not alter skin water loss measurements and was stable for at least 30 days at 5 °C. Nanoparticles released the drug in a sustained fashion for more than 3 days and increased passively about 40 times CLO follicular uptake compared to the commercial cream. Confocal images confirmed the enhanced follicular delivery. On the one hand, NLC application followed by IR for heat generation showed no benefit in terms of HF targeting even at higher temperatures generated by metallic nanoparticle heating. On the other hand, upon US treatment, CLO retention was significantly increased in deeper skin layers. The addition of mechanical vibration to the US treatment led to higher follicular accumulation compared to passive exposure to NLC without stimuli. However, from all evaluated stimuli, manual massage presented the highest follicular targeting potential, driving more than double the amount of CLO into the HF than NLC passive application. In conclusion, NLC showed great potential for delivering CLO to HF, and a simple massage was capable of doubling follicular retention

Cosmetic potential of marine fish skin collagen

Many cosmetic formulations have collagen as a major component because of its significant benefits as a natural humectant and moisturizer. This industry is constantly looking for innovative, sustainable, and truly efficacious products, so marine collagen based formulations are arising as promising alternatives. A solid description and characterization of this protein is fundamental to guarantee the highest quality of each batch. In the present study, we present an extensive characterization of marine-derived collagen extracted from salmon and codfish skins, targeting its inclusion as component in cosmetic formulations. Chemical and physical characterizations were performed using several techniques such as sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Fourier Transformation Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy rheology, circular dichroism, X-ray diffraction, humidity uptake, and a biological assessment of the extracts regarding their irritant potential. The results showed an isolation of type I collagen with high purity but with some structural and chemical differences between sources. Collagen demonstrated a good capacity to retain water, thus being suitable for dermal applications as a moisturizer. A topical exposure of collagen in a human reconstructed dermis, as well as the analysis of molecular markers for irritation and inflammation, exhibited no irritant potential. Thus, the isolation of collagen from fish skins for inclusion in dermocosmetic applications may constitute a sustainable and low-cost platform for the biotechnological valorization of fish by-products.The authors would like to acknowledge to European Union for the financial support under the scope of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the projects 0687_NOVOMAR_1_P (POCTEP (Programa Operacional de Cooperação Transfronteiriça España-Portugal) 2007/2013) and 0302_CVMAR_I_1_P (POCTEP 2014/2020) and the Structured Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000021 (Norte2020) and under the scope of the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) through grant agreement ERC-2012-ADG 20120216-321266 (ERC Advanced Grant ComplexiTE). The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology is also acknowledged for the grant of A.L.A (Ana Luísa Alves.) under Doctoral Programme Do* Mar (PD/BD/127995/2016).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio