ABSTRACT
In vivo real-time skin evaluation was performed by fluorescence spectroscopy on three examples of benign lesions: keratoacanthoma, seborrheic keratosis, and dermatofibroma. Spectral domains corresponding to elastin crosslinks, flavins, and porphyrins fluorophores were investigated. For all skin lesions, the total area of the fluorescence spectra was higher for healthy skin in comparison with the lesions, whereas specific fluorophores’ areas showed varying behavior. Unlike the total area and the areas of the flavins and porphyrins, which decreased in diseased tissues, the fluorescence area associated with elastin crosslinks showed an increase in keratoacanthoma. This is the first attempt to characterize benign lesions using a single excitation wavelength associated with the calculus of specific spectral areas. The evaluation of the area of spectral domains associated with specific skin fluorophores may quantify changes at the molecular level and lower the errors associated with single wavelength measurements. This work provides a promising perspective on the use of fluorescence spectroscopy in clinical practice, yielding good results, with low acquisition costs and rapid analysis time.