by Caroline Plat, DermaNest Associate Consultant
Executive Summary
Imaging devices such as MRI’s, radiography and ultrasound are medical
devices regularly used to help make diagnostics. What types of devices are used
to analyze the skin and the face on a dermatological and esthetic point of
view? Are there imaging systems to not only view skin lesions but also
wrinkles, skin redness, acne and pores as well as vascular conditions? Are
there non-invasive, easy to use camera systems? We have researched such systems
and studied if they are used in research laboratories and clinics, available to
customers in cosmetics points of sale or destined to consumers’ households.
After making an inventory of latest devices we were able to segment the market
and compare the systems according to the number of applications they present.
Most systems are dermatoscopes, handheld, lighted magnifiers with a non
polarized and polarized light source. The software is where they mostly
differentiate themselves. Some can analyze your skin down to your fine lines,
wrinkles, pores and sebum secretion while others concentrate on skin lesions,
spots on the skin. What is the ideal imaging system and what are consumers
today looking for?
List of company benchmarked:
- Aranz Medical
- Beau Visage
- BME electronics
- BrighTex Bio-Photonics
- Canfield
- Clarity Pro Facial
Stage
- Courage + Khazaka
electronic GMBH
- DermLite
- Enhanced Image
Technologies
- Eykona
- FotoFinder
- GFM
- Ioma
- LLTech
- Lucid
- Mediscope Digital
Skin Imaging Analysis
- Michelson Diagnostics
- Profect Medical
Technologies
Discussion and Observations:
As a foreword, we thought it
would be important to clarify and discuss the definition of dermoscopy, which
embraces all the products that we have explored:
“Dermoscopy (dermatoscopy,
epiluminescence microscopy, incident light microscopy, skin surface microscopy)
is a non-invasive diagnostic technique for the in vivo observation of
pigmented skin lesions (PSLs), allowing a better visualization of surface and
subsurface structures (from the epidermis to the papillary dermis). This diagnostic tool permits the recognition
of morphologic structures not visible by the naked eye, thus opening a new
dimension in the analysis of the clinical morphologic features of PSLs.
However, due to the complexity of
patterns and their interpretation, the results of dermoscopic examination have
limitations, especially for the inexperienced, and they are effective only if
the user is formally trained. In order to reduce the learning-curve of
non-expert clinicians and to mitigate problems inherent in the reliability and
reproducibility of the diagnostic criteria used in pattern analysis, several
indicative methods based on diagnostic algorithms have been introduced in the
last few years. ” (Automated Dermoscopy Image Analysis of
Pigmented Skin Lesions, Baldi et al., Cancers 2010, 2(2), 262-273)
Most of these imaging systems are dermatoscopes (a handheld lighted
magnifier, usually consisting of a non polarized and polarized light source) and
have the same technical abilities with LED light’s, polarized or cross-polarized
lighting, an automatic focus, magnification… what really differentiates them is the way the images are analyzed, the
software’s capabilities. The
processing of images, their quality, color measurements and ease of use are to
be thoroughly studied to be able to compare the devices. Most of them seem to
be paired with software that can analyze every characteristic of you skin, from
skin lesions to wrinkles and vascular conditions, with the same hardware. Are
the devices sophisticated enough to truly visualize hemoglobin? Should they
dedicate themselves to analyzing one skin condition and assure that the
analysis is reliable and
accurate?
It
seems the ideal portable and non
invasive system would include a normal
lighting, parallel-polarized and/or cross-polarized lighting, UV lighting, an
automatic focus, sufficient magnifying capacity and software to analyze the
images and obtain a full skin diagnosis: skin lesions, wrinkles, pores and
vascular condition analysis. UV lighting can furthermore be a tool to visualize
the skin’s fluorescing acne lesions such as Courage + Khazaka’s Visiopor which
uses UVA LED’s.
Apart from diagnostics, there are
many application possibilities. These
imaging devices could also be used to analyze cosmetic products on the skin,
such as tone homogeneity, the exact color of eye shadow, lipstick and blush on
the skin and to match skin tone. The durability of a product and its effects
could also easily be followed.
It seems clear that future
imaging devices will be tablets such
as iPads or smart phones directly
used or the camera and lighting may be improved by an add-on in order to have a
polarized light source. Easy to use imaging devices are needed in cosmetics
points of sale and even at home. For example, concerning skin lesions, these
devices could be used to take a clinical
image and send it to a dermatologist or treatment center to analyze and thus avoid going to the
doctor’s unless it is really necessary.
The
major issue that needs to be solved
is the reproducibility problem of these images as well as color and white
balance. To be able to make reliable measurements (wrinkle depth and length for
example), to be able to compare and analyze photographs, they all need to be
taken in the same light, the same position, exactly the same settings. These
conditions can be overlooked and neglected by consumers. Understanding how a
device (hardware and software) analyzes the skin with only a photograph may be
many consumers’ difficulty and will most certainly affect the way they use
them. Engineers and professionals use these devices; the science behind their
functioning isn’t easy to understand by all consumers. A trained specialists
might be recommended at Points of Sale to help consumers with the imaging
devices and sell them the suggested treatments.
Today consumers wish to receive a
complete, objective and understandable
skin diagnosis, in a store or at home, as quickly as possible and
have a treatment and make-up recommendation they can apply. The software could
allow entering factors such as age, season, clothing, and the type of event you
are dressing for, to help choose the appropriate skin care products and make-up.
You could select a price range, evaluate previously used products in order to
receive a personalized, “genius” proposition. This appears to
us as the future of personalized
skin-care.
An
approach to such an App, is ModiFace. Using a picture taken by your smart phone
you can test make-up options by seeing the potential result on your photograph.
You can visualize different brands’ colors of foundations, blush, lipstick, eye
shadow, mascara etc. on your photo. It does not however analyze your skin or
recommend a particular product.
If there are limited regulatory
barriers for the introduction of such new technologies, relevant business
models need to be found to the cost of such innovations are supported by the
ones who benefit the most of its value. As of now, this question is still not
resolved and economic pressures exist both for innovators, large companies and
consumers. We might well have to wait for a few more years to witness the
widespread use of personalized (image-based) cosmetics.
