Quantification of skin surface texture by macrophotography and computer aided scanning densitometry

It is useful in dermatological research and treatment to be able to quantify the surface texture or roughness of skin. A macrophoto-graph of the skin surface reproduces its texture as a scale of densities that is related to the way in which the surface reflects illumination. The negative is an analogue of the surface and contains quantitative data that can be extracted by densitometry. A method is described by which macronegatives of any site on the skin can be made and evaluated by computer assisted scanning densitometry. The evaluation provides a series of complex standard roughness indices that objectively characterize and quantify the nature of the skin surface, and can be used to monitor the progress of skin disease and the effects of treatment on skin disorders.