Sex-related skin differences are known to be expressed such as differences in sebum secretion, yet the relationship to skin’s internal structures is still unclear. Recently, a histopathological study revealed differences in micro-vessel density between females and males. Past studies have been limited to histological vascular assessments, but this study aimed to characterize dermal blood vessels in females and males using optical coherence tomography angiography. We found sex-related differences in vessel volume density through inflammatory-related factors. Also, a male group with higher vascular density showed higher trans-epidermal water loss, implying a relationship between dermal vasculature and skin physiological conditions in males.
Aging alterations in dermal blood vessels have been investigated using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA). However, classifying the vessel’s type was previously limited. In this study, we focused on diameter-dependent vascular alterations in facial skin with age, developing 3D analytical methods to the OCTA data with removing tail-artifact. As a result, it was found that the number of micro-vessels, defined at 20–39 microns, decreased with age, which was inversely true for thick vessels (160–179 micron diameter). Our results suggest that the aging degree of dermal vessels may be uniquely assessed by the diameter-dependent vascular alterations using the OCTA.
Dermal blood vessels play a critical role in cutaneous homeostasis involved in the skin’s appearance. To elucidate the role of dermal vessels in skin beauty, we have been conducting many investigations with optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), whose use includes the analysis of skin’s superficial vascular plexuses.
This presentation will highlight some of our results and show the effects of the following three factors on both skin vascularity and appearance: Short-term ultraviolet ray exposure, solar lentigo and facial aging. From our studies, future applications of OCTA may be beneficial in the cosmetic and medical fields.
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