DERMACATCH – The latest advancement in skin colour measurement

Precise skin color (colour) measurement is of the utmost importance for researchers as well as clinicians involved in the field of skin pigmentation. Skin colorimetry has proved to be a delicate and rather complex issue.  This complexity results from several facts:

• Skin erythema, which readily changes due to internal or external factors, can highly interfere with the precise measurement of skin pigmentation. The desirable skin colorimeter should remain specific for melanin measurement in the case of modifications in skin erythema and vice versa. This is one of the most important challenges in skin colorimetry.
• Skin erythema (redness of the skin) can readily vary according to the pressure applied to the skin surface by the colorimetric device. Since the pressure applied by the user can significantly vary in different measurements, it can significantly interfere with the reproducibility of erythema values, which, in turn, falsely affect the melanin values.
• According to the measurement method, environmental temperature and light can affect the measurement results.

Dermacatch

DERMACATCH is the latest colorimetric advancement (at the time of publication in 2013) aimed to resolve the above mentioned challenging issues:

• Due to its coverage of  the complete visible light spectrum and due to its different calculation method for pigmentation and erythema, DERMACATCH remains highly specific for melanin quantification even in the case of significant increase in the level of skin erythema.
• The high distinguishing capacity of DERMACATCH between erythema vs. melanin, causes the melanin measurements to remain highly reproducible even in the case of changes in the pressure applied to the skin surface by the user.  On the other hand, the design of the optical orifice of DERMACATCH which permits the minimum surface-to-surface contact of the optical part with the skin, reduces the chance of skin blanching due to pressure.
• Environmental light and temperature do not affect the melanin and erythema values measured by DERMACATCH.
• DERMACATCH instantly provides the Melanin and Erythema values and can serve as a highly precise, hand-held colorimeter for skin pigmentation professionals.         

To learn more about Dermacatch, click here.