Comparison between ultrasonography (Dermascan C version 3) and transparency profilometry (Skin Visiometer SV600)

Background/purpose: A recently developed method to estimate skin smoothness is the replica method, which may have the limitation of the roughness difference of actual skin due to the skin-replicating process. Therefore, observation of dermal layer change is very important. For this purpose, ultrasonic display equipment is generally used. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the correlation between skin roughness and dermal density in wrinkle evaluation. Methods: We evaluated the crow's feet of 95 Korean females using mechanical assessments; Skin-Visiometer SV 600 and Dermascan C. Transparency profilometry (Skin Visiometer) use a very thin skin print, which allows parallel light to pass through and is analyzed immediately after production. High-frequency (20 MHz) ultrasonography (Dermascan C) enables non-invasive evaluation of skin thickness and echo density. Results: We found a correlation between skin roughness and dermal density. Particularly, we found a significant correlation between skin roughness (R2) and dermal thickness. Also, we found a significant negative correlation between dermal density and dermal thickness (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Therefore, the ultrasonography system may be considered a very useful method in wrinkle evaluation with the transparency profilometry. However, further study will be required.