ABSTRACT
Introduction 216 General Description of the Instruments and Skin Mechanical Parameters 216 Mechanical Properties of the Skin in Dermatological Diseases 218
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome 218 Mechanical Properties of the Skin 218 Interpretation of the Changes of Skin Mechanical Parameters 218 Correlation between Clinical Assessment and Mechanical
Parameters of the Skin 219 Diagnostics by Means of Measurements of Skin Mechanics 219
Scleredema of Buschke 219 Mechanical Properties of the Skin 219 Interpretation of the Changes of Skin Mechanical Parameters 219 Correlation between Clinical Assessment and Mechanical
Parameters of the Skin 220 Diagnostics by Means of Measurements of Skin Mechanics 220 Monitoring of Progress and Treatment Response of the Disease 221
Psoriasis Vulgaris 222 Mechanical Properties of the Skin 222 Interpretation of the Changes of Skin Mechanical Parameters 222 Correlation between Clinical Assessment and Mechanical
Parameters of the Skin 223 Diagnostics by Means of Measurements of Skin Mechanics 223 Monitoring and Comparison of Treatment Response
of the Disease 224 Erysipelas of the Lower Legs 224
Mechanical Properties of the Skin 224 Interpretation of the Changes of Skin Mechanical Parameters 225
216 Bioengineering of the Skin: Skin Biomechanics
Correlation between Clinical Assessment and Mechanical Parameters of the Skin 225
Monitoring of Progress and Treatment Response of the Disease 225 Lymphedema of the Lower Limbs 226
Mechanical Properties of the Skin 226 Interpretation of the Changes of Skin Mechanical Parameters 226 Monitoring of Progress and Treatment Response of the Disease 226
Differential Diagnostics by Means of Skin Elasticity Measurements 226 Conclusions 227 Acknowledgment 227 References 228
INTRODUCTION Human skin, as a complex multi-layered organ, has three major mechanical properties: 1.2
• Stiffness, i.e., resistance to change of shape; • Elasticity, i.e., ability to recover the initial shape after deformation; • Viscoelasticity, i.e., time-dependent deformation with a "creep" phenom-
enon and nonlinear stress-strain properties with "hysteresis."
