Methods and apparatus for quantifying photo-damage

摘要

A method of obtaining a measurement of the extent of telangectasia in an area of skin is disclosed. Initially (S3-1) an image of an area of skin (2) to be analyzed is obtained. The obtained image is then processed (S3-2-S3-3) to determine blood distribution data indicative of the distribution of blood in an imaged area of skin. This blood distribution data is then converted (S3-5) using a Discrete Fourier Transform and the converted blood distribution data is then processed to obtain a measurement of the extent features in a determined distribution of blood correspond to structures of a predetermined size. The obtained measurement of the extent of telangectasia can then be combined (s3-6) with other measurements of the effects of photo-damage such as measurements of melanin disorder and collagen degradation to obtain a measurement of the extent of photo-damage.