Surface determination of 3D confocal Raman microscopy imaging of the skin

A surface determination method for the application of 3D confocal Raman microscopy on inhomogeneous skin sections has been presented, which is based on depth profiles of the keratin contribution of the acquired Raman spectra. The method was compared to two similar auto-focusing methods that are based on the intensity of the reflected excitation light and Raman spectra, respectively. The measurements were performed on hair follicles containing skin sections of porcine ears ex vivo. The surface determination on such samples is especially challenging due to their different molecular composition and surface inhomogeneity. An advantage of this method is molecular sensitivity, whereby only the surface of the sample will be detected and not the substrate of the microscope slide, in the case of disruptions during the processing of samples. A disadvantage of the method is the increased overall acquisition time if only the surface spectra are to be applied for 2D mapping.