Optothermal skin-water concentration gradient measurement

Opto-Thermal Transient Emission Radiometry has been shown to be able to measure stratum corneum hydration in-vivo. We now present a study that shows how the technique can be extended to give information about the distribution of water within the stratum corneum. This depth profile measurement capability is based on a new theoretical expression for the opto- thermal signal that takes a gradient of water concentration explicitly into account. The technique is illustrated with measurements on untreated skin and skin treated with petroleum jelly and DMSO.