ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Skin suction experiments are widely used in order to evaluate the effects of skin treatments, both for cosmetic and for dermatological purposes. Classically, the elevation of the skin is measured at different discrete time instances after the pressure has been changed. Relations between the classical parameters - Uv, Ur, Ue and Uf - have been investigated and used in order to develop a new model for interpreting the mechanical properties of the skin. METHODS: Within a group of 68 female subjects - aged between 37 and 68 - a Cutometer has been used in order to determine classical skin suction parameters on the female facial skin. Each skin suction measurement consists of three consecutive underpressure cycles. Within the resulting parameter set, a statistical analysis has been performed to investigate interparameter relations. RESULTS: Strong interparameter correlations have been found within a set of 12 classical skin suction parameters. The set contains three independent groups of interrelated parameters. Based on this observation, a one-dimensional mechanical model - consisting of springs and dampers - is constructed. When two extra independent parameters are included in the model, the elevation versus time curves as recorded during three consecutive underpressure cycles can be fully described. The model reveals that typical skin suction data can be described in terms of a quick and a slow deformation process. The two characteristic time scales are 0.1 and 7 s approximately. The 0.1 s-value matches the response time of the device used. In reality, the quick deformation process in the skin may have a shorter time scale. CONCLUSIONS: In skin suction data, each underpressure cycle is usually characterized by four classical parameters - Uv, Ur, Ue and Uf. Within the 12 parameters of a three-cycle measurement, three independent groups of interrelated parameters have been found. These groups can be represented by the parameters Uv1, Ur1 and Uf1 of the first underpressure cycle. A model that is based on these three independent groups and two other independent parameters is proposed. The model provides an accurate description of the skin deformation as recorded during a measurement involving three underpressure cycles. The model is an improvement over classical interpretations of skin suction data where interrelated parameters are used. Moreover, the five-parameter model accounts for well-known mechanical characteristics of the skin such as preconditioning and visco-elastic behavior.
