PULSED PHOTOTHERMAL RADIOMETRY OF PORT-WINE-STAIN LESIONS

Pulsed photothermal radiometry is used to map the heat deposition in h uman skin after a short laser pulse. It uses an IR (HgCdTe) detector f or a rapid noncontact measurement of the skin surface temperature base d on the blackbody emission in the 8-12-mum spectrum. The heat deposit ed by the laser pulse in the superficial epidermis causes an immediate temperature jump, and the heat deposited in basal epidermal melanin a nd deep port wine stains diffuses to the surface before detection. The time course of the surface temperature T(z = 0, t), indicates the ini tial spatial distribution of heat, T(z, t = 0), deposited by the laser .