Towards medical terahertz sensing of skin hydration.

Terahertz imaging has shown promise as a tool for noninvasive in-vivo detection of skin abnormalities, including skin cancer, burns, scars, and wounds due to its low non-ionizing photon energy and ability to penetrate clothing and gauze. This study examines whether low-level bulk differences in the water content between hyperhydrated and dehydrated skin can be detected using a scanning, reflective THz imaging system. Our results show an 8.7 x difference in the THz reflectivity between hyperhydrated and dehydrated specimens of chicken skin. The results provide further evidence that water concentration is the primary contrast mechanism in reflective THz biomedical imaging.