The purpose of the present work is a theoretical examination of how localised
skin-tissue dehydration affects the depth of the confocal probing and what depth
of effective detection can be reached with the chemical administration of skin
tissues. A semi-infinite multilayer Monte Carlo model is used to estimate
spatial localisation of the output signal offered by a confocal probe. A
solution of glycerol is taken in the capacity of innocuous osmotic agent.
Diffusion of this bio-compatible chemical agent into the skin temporarily pushes
water out of the tissues and results in the matching of the refractive indices
of skin structural elements. This temporarily decreases scattering and increases
transparency of topical skin layers, which allows for unrestricted light to
permeate deeper into the skin. The results of simulation show that signal
spatial localization offered by a confocal probe in the skin tissues during
their clearing is usable for the monitoring of deep reticular dermis and
improving the image contrast and spatial resolution. A discussion of the optical
properties of skin tissues and their changes due to diffusion of glycerol into
the skin is given. Optical properties of tissues and their changes due to
chemical administration are estimated based on the results of experimental in
vitro study with rat and human skin