Method of assessing skin and overall health of an individual

• US 20050203355A1
• Filed: 11/15/2004
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Kollias, Nikiforos, Stamatas, Georgios, Nikolovski, Janeta, Wiegand, Benjamin
• Granted Patent: US 8,620,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/317
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0071 by measuring fluorescence emission
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/441 Skin evaluation, e.g. for skin disorder diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/442 Evaluating skin mechanical properties, e.g. elasticity, hardness, texture, wrinkle assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/64 Fluorescence; Phosphorescence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6486 Measuring fluorescence of biological material, e.g. DNA, RNA, cells G01N21/6428 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5091 for testing the pathological state of an organism

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of determining skin health of an area of skin and overall health of an individual by exposing the area of skin to a first exposure radiation to induce the area of skin to emit a first fluorescent emission, measuring the intensity of the first fluorescent emission, exposing the area of skin to a second exposure radiation to induce the area of skin to emit a second fluorescent emission, measuring the intensity of the second fluorescent emission, calculating a ratio of these intensities, and comparing the ratio to a control ratio.

Claims

1. A method of determining skin health of an area of skin, said method comprising the steps of

(i) exposing said area of skin to a first exposure radiation to induce said area of skin to emit a first fluorescent emission, wherein said first exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of from about 290 nm to about 300 nm;

(ii) measuring the intensity of said first fluorescent emission having a wavelength of from about 320 nm to about 350 nm;

(iii)exposing said area of skin to a second exposure radiation to induce said area of skin to emit a second fluorescent emission, wherein said second exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of from about 330 nm to about 420 nm;

(iii) measuring the intensity of said second fluorescent emission having a wavelength of from about 380 nm to about 470 nm;

(iv) calculating a ratio of said intensity measured in step (ii) to said intensity measured in step (iv); and

(v) comparing said ratio to a control ratio.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein said first exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of about 295 nm.

3. A method of claim 2, wherein said step (ii) comprises measuring the intensity of said first fluorescent emission having a wavelength of about 340 nm.

4. A method of claim 1, wherein said second exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of from about 390 nm to about 410 nm.

5. A method of claim 2, wherein said second exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of from about 390 nm to about 410 nm.

6. A method of claim 3, wherein said second exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of from about 390 nm to about 410 nm.

7. A method of claim 4, wherein said step (iv) comprises measuring the intensity of said second fluorescent emission having a wavelength of about 440 nm.

8. A method of claim 5, wherein said step (iv) comprises measuring the intensity of said second fluorescent emission having a wavelength of about 440 nm.

9. A method of claim 6, wherein said step (iv) comprises measuring the intensity of said second fluorescent emission having a wavelength of about 440 nm.

10. A method of claim 1, wherein said control ratio is the ratio calculated by repeating steps (i)-(v) for a second area of skin of said subject.

11. A method of determining the effect of a treatment to the skin of a subject, said method comprising the steps of:

(i) exposing a first area of skin to a first exposure radiation to induce said area of skin to emit a first fluorescent emission, wherein said first exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of from about 290 nm to about 300 nm and wherein said first area of skin was exposed to said treatment;

(ii) measuring the intensity of said first fluorescent emission having a wavelength of from about 320 nm to about 350 nm;

(iii) exposing said first area of skin to a,second exposure radiation to induce said area of skin to emit a second fluorescent emission, wherein said second exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of from about 330 nm to about 420 nm;

(iv) measuring the intensity of said second fluorescent emission having a wavelength of from about 380 nm to about 470 nm;

(v) calculating a ratio of said intensity measured in step (ii) to said intensity measured in step (iv);

(vi) repeating steps (i) to (v) for a second area of skin, wherein said second area of skin was not exposed to said treatment; and

(vii) comparing said ratio for said first area of skin to said ratio for said second area of skin.

12. A method of claim 11, wherein said first exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of about 295 nm.

13. A method of claim 12, wherein said step (ii) comprises measuring the intensity of said first fluorescent emission having a wavelength of about 340 nm.

14. A method of claim 11, wherein said second exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of from about 390 to about 410 nm.

15. A method of claim 12, wherein said second exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of from about 390 nm to about 410 nm.

16. A method of claim 13, wherein said second exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of from about 390 nm to about 410 nm.

17. A method of claim 14, wherein said step (iv) comprises measuring the intensity of said second fluorescent emission having a wavelength of about 440.

18. A method of claim 15, wherein said step (iv) comprises measuring the intensity of said second fluorescent emission having a wavelength of about 440.

19. A method of claim 16, wherein said step (iv) comprises measuring the intensity of said second fluorescent emission having a wavelength of about 440.

20. A method of claim 11, wherein said first area of skin and said second area of skin are the same area of skin and wherein the calculation of the ratio for said second area of skin occurs prior to said treatment.

21. A method of assessing the overall health of an individual comprising:

creating a standard curve for a plurality of healthy individuals by I) exposing an area of skin of each healthy individual to a first exposure radiation to induce said area of skin to emit a first fluorescent emission, wherein said first exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of from about 290 nm to about 300 nm;

,II) measuring the intensity of said first fluorescent emission having a wavelength of from about 320 nm to about 350 nm;

(III) exposing said area of skin to a second exposure radiation to induce said area of skin to emit a second fluorescent emission, wherein said second exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of from about 330 nm to about 420 nm;

IV) measuring the intensity of said second fluorescent emission having a wavelength of from about 380 nm to about 470 nm;

V) calculating a ratio of said intensity measured in step (II) to said intensity measured in step (IV);

plotting a standard curve for age of individual versus the ratio of step V;

performing the measurements of steps II and IV for an individual;

calculating the ratio of step V for the individual; and

comparing the ratio of step V for the individual in question to the standard curve to determine the overall health of the individual.

22. A method of assessing the overall health of an individual comprising:

creating an average fluorescence value by age for a plurality of healthy individuals by I) exposing an area of skin of each healthy individual to a first exposure radiation to induce said area of skin to emit a first fluorescent emission, wherein said first exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of from about 290 nm to about 300 nm;

II) measuring the intensity of said first fluorescent emission having a wavelength of from about 320 nm to about 350 nm;

(III)exposing said area of skin to a second exposure radiation to induce said area of skin to emit a second fluorescent emission, wherein said second exposure radiation comprises primarily of wavelengths of from about 330 nm to about 420 nm;

IV) measuring the intensity of said second fluorescent emission having a wavelength of from about 380 nm to about 470 nm;

V) calculating the average fluorescence value by age;

performing the measurements of steps II and IV for an individual whose health is in question; and

comparing the fluorescence value for the

individual whose health is in question to the average fluorescence value by age to determine the overall health of the individual.