A PHOTOACOUSTIC DEPTH PROFILE OF β‐CAROTENE IN SKIN

Abstract— Photoacoustic spectroscopy has been used to observe a qualitative depth profile in vitro in mouse skin. Because the photoacoustic response is a vector quantity, it can be used to qualitatively determine the depth of a chromophore in skin. The spectrum of an induced layer of β‐carotene in albino mouse skin was separated from the spectrum of hemoglobin. Dyes were then used to determine more precisely the position of the β‐carotene in the epidermis. The spectrum of melanin was also separated from that of the underlying hemoglobin in pigmented mouse skin.