In vivo fluorescence of human skin. A potential marker of photoaging.

Fluorescence is a feature of elastin and collagen, both major compounds of human dermis that are altered by age and photoexposure. We studied the intrinsic fluorescence of skin in vivo in 28 human volunteers to determine whether photoaging and chronologic aging of the skin could be evaluated by this noninvasive technique. We demonstrate that the excitation of skin autofluorescence by laser ultraviolet radiation yields characteristic tissue fluorescence spectra that are unrelated to age, pigmentation, or skin thickness. The differences in skin autofluorescence appear to be related to photoexposure. Thus, laser-induced fluorimetry, a noninvasive technique, may be adaptable as a marker of photoaging.