Quantitative determination of induced skin reddening using optical reflection spectroscopy - Methods and clinical application

Optical reflection spectroscopy is a simple and quick method for the quanti fication of colour intensity,, and is thus suitable for the determination o f changes in skin reddening (erythema) due to local vasodilatation. To quan tify the time course of this erythema, the oxyhaemoglobin absorption double peak with maxima at 542 and 577 nm is an appropriate parameter. A compact handheld optical spectrometer makes the technique, applicable to clinical use, an example being the niacin patch test described herein. This noninvasive test provides information about the cell membrane metabolism v ia the skin flush induced by niacin (vitamin B3) and mediated by prostaglan din. The aim of this study was, to adapt optical reflection spectroscopy to the requirements of the clinical niacin patch test. To that end, we investigate d 60 healthy volunteers. Analysis of the spectroscopic data with regard to physiological covariables of niacin sensitivity revealed faster and more in tense erythema in females - a gender effect that to our knowledge has not p reviously been reported. In the light of these results, the findings of other researchers based on s emi-quantitative test methods should be reassessed,, with consideration giv en to the gender effect.