What do we know about the epidermis’ optical properties and their influence on optical device functionality? Article

Boonya-Ananta, T, Rodriguez, AJ, Ajmal, A et al. (2025). What do we know about the epidermis’ optical properties and their influence on optical device functionality? . ANNALS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA, 2(3), 10.1117/1.BIOS.2.3.032505

cited authors

  • Boonya-Ananta, T; Rodriguez, AJ; Ajmal, A; Pei, JZ; Branan, KL; Sanchez, A; Bouzas, MP; Alzamora, M; Coté, GL; Ramella-Roman, JC

authors

abstract

  • We review the published work on the optical properties of the epidermis. Considering three primary skin tone groups, we summarize the existing data on epidermal absorption and scattering coefficient across the 300- to 1000-nm range. We include both experimentally derived values and ones extrapolated through models of bulk skin. We note a paucity of experimental data across all skin tones, which highlights the need for further research on epidermal melanin and skin tone to improve the reliability of optical devices interfacing with the skin.

publication date

  • July 1, 2025

published in

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

volume

  • 2

issue

  • 3