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PATTERNS AND INTENSITY OE AUTOFLUORESCENCE AND ITS RELATION TO MELANIN IN HUMAN EPIDERMIS AND HAIR
Author(s) -
FELLNER MICHAEL J.,
CHEN AMELIA SUHUI,
MONT MICHAEL,
MCCABE JONATHAN,
BADEN MICHAEL
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-4362.1979.tb05009.x
Subject(s) - autofluorescence , melanin , epidermis (zoology) , medicine , cytoplasm , pathology , hair shaft , fluorescence , dermatology , hair follicle , anatomy , chemistry , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , optics , biochemistry , physics
The skin of 41 patients including 16 blacks, 15 Caucasiatis, and 10 Hispanics, was observed using a fluorescent microscope. Three patterns of autofluorescence were observed: intercellular, cytoplasmic, and a combination of inter cellular and cytoplasmic. The hair of 75 subjects, including 18 Negroes and 55 Caucasians, was observed. Two patterns were found: medullar and at the cortex. Skin from black patients was associated with the cytoplasmic pattern of autofluorescence. Compared to lighter skin, black skin was also significantly associated with increased intensity of autofluorescence indicating that autoflorescence of the epidermis parallels the link al degree of pigmentation. In the hair of 75 subjects, similar results were obtained: Negro hair exhibited more fluorescnce than Caucasian hair, and darker hair (brown to black) exhibited more fluorescence than lighter hair(blond). This may be related to melanin and its breakdown products.