Dermatology

Terahertz in cosmetics
The cosmetic appearance of skin is directly linked to the state of its outermost layer, the stratum corneum. The water-content of the stratum corneum influences its permeability and elasticity. Most skin-care products such as moisturizers act to increase the retained water content of this layer of the skin to enhance its appearance. Quantitative characterization of the hydration-level of the stratum corneum is thus of crucial importance to the cosmetics industry in order to characterize and compare the effectiveness of their products.
In partnership with an industry-leading cosmetics manufacturer, TeraView performed the first investigation of the application of terahertz pulse imaging for in vivo characterization of stratum corneum.

Terahertz in skin cancer
TeraView has worked with clinical collaborators to establish the ability of terahertz to distinguish between basal cell carcinoma and other forms of malignant, benign and healthy tissue associated with skin cancer and related diseases. Both extensive ex vivo measurements for tissue classification and histopathological use, and preliminary in vivo measurements directly on patients have been successfully performed.