ABSTRACT
Confocal Raman microspectroscopy of skin in vivo is nowadays routinely being applied in human panelist studies. Ever since the first Raman spectra of skin were presented, it is known that these spectra contain unique information on the chemical composition of the skin. The ability to measure the chemical composition of living biological tissues nondestructively is a valuable tool in the skin sciences. Raman spectroscopy has qualities that make it unusually attractive for such measurements. Especially the ability to measure the chemical composition of tissues noninvasively at defined depths, using confocal optics (optical sectioning), is unique. Because of the complexity of biological tissues, Raman spectroscopy has only in the last decade begun to make significant contributions in skin science. A very recent review discusses the in vivo applications of Raman spectroscopy in the measurement of the composition of skin, including topically applied compounds and their effects on skin composition, in the context of pharmaceutical applications (such as transdermal drug delivery) (1).
