Cosmetic Research and Development
The days are long gone when a simple 'before and after' photo comparison sufficed to show the efficacy of a product. Developers of new products and treatment methodologies, both medical and cosmetic, need to be able to prove their efficacy beyond doubt in a clearly quantifiable and repeatable manner. Hard statistics can be difficult to obtain in the area of cosmetic treatments but the Episcan dermal ultrasound scanner can provide just this.
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Most ultrasound scanners are designed for deep penetration into the body but are unable to image the dermis and epidermis in any useful fashion for cosmetic purposes. Episcan on the other hand is specifically designed to handle the higher sound frequencies that are necessary to achieve this. It was originally designed to detect pressure sores before they become apparent to the naked eye, and the 18MHz centre frequency probe provides clear images of changes beneath the surface of the skin as ulcers develop or as wounds heal and it shows difficult objects such as glass splinters, for which X-ray is not very effective. 
Now two further higher frequency probes have been introduced for dermatologists and skin cancer specialists and these are also ideal for the development, evaluation and comparison of cosmetic products, giving hard evidence which can also be used in marketing. These have centre frequencies of 35MHz and 45MHz, which give progressively finer resolution at lesser penetration and are easily interchangeable during use. Features such as hair follicles, nail beds and cellulite (right) show up in great detail and can be displayed in various manners, including linear and area measurements as required.Many applications relate to assessing the impact of a treatment or process, where the clinician is looking to measure the differences which result from their intervention. Episcan offers a series of tools to help quantitatively measure changes that occur as well as providing the user with the ability to compare sequences of images tiled on the screen. Linear measurements might for example be for measuring dermal thickness, but Episcan also provides the user with the means to compare the make-up of the reflected signals that are used to create the images. Using the signal strength of each pixel that makes up an image or area of image, it can show subtle changes in tissue characteristics (pixel analysis).
This example shows the same area of skin before, during and one hour
after saturation with a moisturiser. On each image an identical area
was defined for analysis and the pixel intensity distribution
determined within that defined area.
The plots show that prior to the application of the moisturiser the average intensity of the pixels was higher and that one hour after the removal of the surplus moisturiser there had been a small but measurable change back towards the pre-application condition.
This trend is as expected, as moisturising or hydrating the skin lessens the ultrasound reflections.
The analysis is taken one stage further in the table (right) where each of the distribution plots is represented by numeric values.
This analysis technique may be of great value in providing numerical representation of skin ageing or rejuvenation.
There are many other applications in the cosmetic and aesthetic world too, including areas such as dermal fillers. As dermal fillers and other wrinkle treatments become more widely used and new materials are tried, Episcan can display not just exactly where the injected filler went but the time profile of how long a treatment lasts. Photographs can also be attached to scans if desired to assist in making comparisons.
For further details on the Episcan dermal ultrasound scanner please visit the Dermatology page.