Raman spectra of human skin and nail excited in the visible region

The characterization of human tissues for biomedical purposes using spectroscopic techniques is of growing interest owing to the richness of the information that they provide. Particularly in the case of skin (stratum corneum) and nail, fluorescence has been a drawback to the use of Raman spectroscopy with excitation in the visible and even in the red region, thus making the excitation in the near-infrared region and the use of interferometric equipment essential. This paper reports for the first time the Raman spectra of the outermost layer of human skin and nail excited at 632.8 nm. The initially strong fluorescent background was photobleached and the residual emission was rejected by spatial filtering. The spectra obtained are in full agreement with previously reported data. The feasibility of excitation in the visible region increases the possibilities of using Raman spectroscopy as a tool in skin and nail investigations.