A noninvasive skin imaging system

A noninvasive system capable of quantifying both the position and concentration of the major constituents of human skin along with the internal architecture is presented. Input to the system is in the form of two infrared and one colour image which, through an understanding of the physics relating the light remitted by human skin to its internal structure, provides information about this internal structure. Specifically information relating to the amount of epidermal melanin, dermal blood, position and concentration of melanocytes invading the papillary dermis and the thickness of the papillary dermis is returned. These can then be used to construct a full 3-dimensional model allowing visualisation of the internal skin structure conveying information grossly comparable to that available through microscopical examination of biopsied skin tissue.