Analysis of shear wave propagation in skin; application to an experimental procedure.

An analysis of an experimental procedure used to determine age-related changes in the skin was performed. The experiment is based on the propagation of a shear wave through the skin. The analysis of the experiment was used to determine the effects of parameters such as properties of the skin and subcutaneous fat, skin thickness and experimental conditions on the propagation. Computer simulations showed that at lower frequencies (less than 1000 Hz), measured results depended strongly on skin thickness, while at higher frequencies (2000 Hz) the results were relatively insensitive to both skin thickness and the properties of the subcutaneous fat. Results also depended upon the distance between the applied shear disturbance and the measurement point. The analysis suggests that higher frequency (2000 Hz) experimental results are more indicative of mechanical properties of skin than lower frequency (less than 1000 Hz) results.