In vivo multiphoton microscopy of human skin

The development of clinical multiphoton technologies has led to new, labelfree approaches for non-invasive, in vivo imaging of human skin. Recent studies have shown that multiphoton imaging can be used to assess a wide range of biological processes, including cancer, cellular metabolism, and the effects of skin treatments. The imaging devices MPTflex and its earlier version, DermaInspect, have been employed in a broad range of clinical applications spanning from characterizing and understanding keratinocyte metabolism to malignant melanoma detection and diagnosis, pigment biology, cosmetic treatments, and skin aging. The promising results indicate that in the near future, real-time non-invasive nonlinear “optical biopsies” can be performed at the bedside.