Critical Factors for In Vivo Measurements of Human Skin by Terahertz Attenuated Total Reflection Spectroscopy

Attenuated total reflection (ATR) geometry is a suitable choice for in vivo measurements of human skin due to the deep penetration of the field into the sample and since it makes it easy to measure the reference spectrum. On the other hand, there are several critical factors that may affect the terahertz (THz) response in these kinds of experiments. Here, we analyse in detail the influence of the following factors: the contact positions between the thumb and the prism, the contact pressure, the contact duration, and the materials of the prism. Furthermore, we use the THz-ATR technology to evaluate different types of handcream and also establish the theoretical model to investigate the reflectivity after interacting with the skin. The results agree well with experimental ones. Our analysis makes it clear the importance of controlling the above factors during measurements to enable reliable THz response and results which, in turn, may be used to monitor water motion in human skin and to predict possible diseases.