DESC:The current invention provides a system to measure the elasticity of skin in vivo.
The area of skin to be tested is loaded by the application of a torque on the skin. This is done by means of the DC motor 101. The end of the shaft of the motor is provided with a flat cap made of or covered by a frictional material. When the end cap 102 is pressed against the skin with the motor in the running condition, the friction between the motor end cap and the skin serves to reduce the relative motion between the two and causes the sample of skin to get twisted.
The DC motor is controlled by an on-board Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 103 which is designed such that the motor speed remains constant under all conditions. This is achieved by increasing the input current drawn by the motor. Thus, a measure of the current drawn by the motor serves as a measure for the amount of resistance experienced by it, which in turn is a measure of the elasticity of the skin.
In order to control the normal contact force between the skin and the end-cap 102 of the DC motor 101, the motor is mounted on a spring 104 such that the face of the end-cap projects beyond the front face of the device by a few millimetres as depicted. Thus, when placed against the skin such that the face of the device touches the skin, the end-cap and the motor are pushed into the device body, aligning the end cap face and the device face with each other and compressing the spring by a known amount. Thus, a constant force is applied on the skin every time.
The resistance offered by the motor is calibrated against the elasticity or the skin-age of the individual by means of a computer program.
The entire system is contained in an external housing 105 which supports the PCB 103 and the motor 101 and provides a channel for it (the motor) to slide in and out. The housing also supports the spring 104.
In the preferred embodiment, the device is designed to work as a part of a complete system that may be used to provide a complete assessment of an individual’s skin leading to the prescription of a personalized skin care routine for the said individual. This complete skin analysis may comprise of measurements of the moisture and sebum content on the skin along with the pigmentation and redness levels of a selected area of the skin.
In this preferred embodiment, the PCB connects to a laptop or computing device or a processor via a suitable data connection, such as a USB cable, whereby data collected may be appropriately processed using an appropriate computer program and displayed accordingly, if so desired.
These measurements may be accomplished by a single probe or a plurality of probes via an interface provided by a proprietary software program running on a commercially available computer or on a proprietary hardware device consisting of, but not limited to, a processor, a display system such as, but not limited to, a screen, and an input device such as, but not limited to, a keyboard, a mouse or a touch screen. The display unit defined earlier may also be used to display the results of the tests conducted using the probe(s) defined earlier, as computed or processed by the processor unit defined earlier. ,CLAIMS:What is claimed is:
1. An integrated device for the in vivo measurement of skin stiffness through torsional force measurements.
2. The device of claim 1, which measures torsional force through drive current measurements of a motor.
3. The device of claim 1, coupled with single or multiprobe implementation for other measurements including but not limited to redness, pigmentation, moisture content and sebum content.
4. The device of claim 1, where measurements can be used to determine skin-aging
5. The device of claim 1, where measurements can be used to determine skin softness
6. The device of claim 1, where measurements can be used to determine the efficacy of skin moisturizers.
7. The device of claim 1, where measurements can be used to determine the efficacy of entities such as, but not limited to, cosmetics creams and lotions that modify the mechanical properties of skin.
8. The device of claim 1, which may be used solely or in conjunction with single or multiprobe implementations for measuring parameters of claim 2, to determine skin-aging, skin softness and other skin health related parameters.
9. The device of claim 1, which may be used solely or in conjunction with single or multiprobe implementations for measuring parameters of claim 2, to determine efficacy of skin care products.