Spectral reflectance variability of skin and attributing factors

Knowledge of the spectral reflectance signature of human skin over a wide spectral range will help advance the development of sensing systems for many applications, ranging from medical treatment to security technology. A critical component of the signature of human skin is the variability across the population. We describe a simple measurement method to measure human skin reflectance of the inside of the forearm. The variability of the reflectance spectra for a number of subjects measured at NIST is determined using statistical methods. The degree of variability is explored and discussed. We also propose a method for collaborating with other scientists, outside of NIST, to expand the data set of signatures to include a more diverse population and perform a meta-analysis to further investigate the variability of human skin reflectance.