Applications / Aesthetics and Plastics
Longport's EPISCAN ultrasound imaging system can image the dermal structure to high resolution and with great clarity enabling subtle changes in tissue structure to be visualised. Thus it is possible to visualise the effects of ageing, damage caused by sun exposure and the impact of various aesthetics treatments on the skin. Importantly, changes before and after treatment can be compared both qualitatively and quantitatively, allowing the clinician and patient to see the impact of treatment programs often before visual impact can be seen.
**Click Images to see an enlarged version
Sun Induced Damage
Note the increase thickness of the dermas in the sun exposed image compared with the sun protected area. Also, the reduced intensity of reflections from the upper, papillary, region of the dermis in the sun exposed area, indicating a weaker collagen structure.
The EPISCAN is currently being used to evaluate the impact of various skin rejuvenating laser treatments, where changes in the ultrasound structure of the skin can often be seen prior to visual changes, fillers, including confirming that these are injected into the correct plane of the dermis and other anti-ageing treatments.
The EPISCAN can also be used to image cellulite and scar tissue, including keloid scars.
Quantitative Analysis
Many applications of the EPISCAN relate to assessing the impact of a treatment or process, where the clinician is looking to measure the differences to result from their intervention. The EPISCAN offers a series of tools to help quantitatively measure changes that may occur as well as providing the user with the ability to visually qualitatively asses sequences of images tiled on the screen. Most simply quantitative measurements can be linear measurements, for example measuring dermal thickness. The EPISCAN however also provides the user with the means to compare the make-up of the reflected signals that are used to create the images.
The EPISCAN can utilize the signal strength of each pixel, that makes up an image or area of image, to show subtle changes in tissue characteristics. (Refereed to here as pixel analysis.) In the following example the same area of skin before, during and one hour after saturation with a moisturiser was utilized. One each image an identical area was defined for analysis and the pixel intensity distribution determined within that defined area.
These plots show that prior to the application of the moisturizer the average intensity of the pixels was higher and that one hour after the removal of the surplus moisturizer there had been a small but measurable change back towards the pre application condition. (This trend is as expected as moisturizing or hydrating of the skin lessens the ultrasound reflections.)
This analysis is taken one stage further in the table below where each of the distribution plots is represented by numeric values.
The application of this analysis technique is being investigated to provide numerical representation of skin ageing or rejuvenation.