A human skin ultrasonic imaging to analyse its mechanical properties

The analysis of the skin mechanical behaviour is a key-point for different field of investigation. As the skin is a complex structure, studies are usually based on inverse methods that compare experimental and finite element numerical results. Besides the considered behaviour law, one of the most important question concerns the geometrical aspects of the skin tissue. In this paper, it is shown how high frequency ultrasound imaging helps the calculation of skin mechanical parameters. The hypodermis influence is firstly discussed through elastographic analyses. A specific procedure to measure the dermis thickness is then proposed to highlight that such a measurement must be considered to draw reliable conclusions. The obtained results are finally discussed to point out the interest of such simplifications for the study of more complex behaviour laws.