JP7271255B2 - How to measure the amount of skin sagging - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for measuring the amount of skin sagging.

Sagging skin is one of the aging phenomena of the skin that many people are concerned about. Sagging of the face is said to be caused by changes in the physical properties of the skin, such as age, the amount of collagen in the dermis, the elasticity of the skin, and the thickness of the subcutaneous fat. For example, the relationships between sagging and elasticity and between sagging and subcutaneous fat have been clarified (Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). is not known.

Attempts have been made to improve the sagging of the skin by beauty treatments such as esthetics and massages, physical methods represented by corrective underwear, chemical methods using pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, supplements, etc., and methods in which these methods are combined. there is

Various methods have been used to confirm these improvement effects. A method of evaluation by a viscoelasticity test or the like is known (Patent Document 2).
However, the method of visually scoring and evaluating sagging cannot capture minute differences in sagging, and it is difficult to evaluate areas other than those where changes such as nasolabial folds are conspicuous. Moreover, although these methods can confirm the phenomenon that the face is sagging, they do not lead to clarifying what is causing the sagging.

On the other hand, as an evaluation method using images, marks are applied to the reference points and measurement points on the face, horizontal and vertical facial photographs are taken, and the moving distance of the mark from the reference point is measured as the vertical component of the skin. There is known a method (Patent Document 3) of calculating the amount of skin sagging by calculating the relative distance value of .
However, the grasped amount of slack is limited to changes in the vertical direction at the measurement point, and does not grasp changes in the surroundings including the measurement point in multiple directions.

On the other hand, an attempt has been made to grasp the direction of sagging by using a sticker with a scale as a measurement object, sticking it to the measurement point, photographing it, and analyzing it (Patent Document 4). The significance of direction and its relation to skin conditions and changes are not stated.

A method of estimating the degree of skin sagging based on the correlation between skin sagging and shock wave propagation time is known (Patent Document 5). However, measuring the degree of sagging requires a shock wave propagation measuring device, which cannot be said to be a simple method, and the relationship between sagging and anything other than the shock wave is unknown.

As a method of directly measuring the surface of the object to be measured, a sampling moire camera or the like is used to photograph and analyze the face in a three-dimensional vertical position (hereinafter referred to as the moire method), or a 3D scanner is used. There are known methods of evaluation. However, since the moire method is an accurate imaging with a sampling moire camera, the stress of the subject such as fixation of the head in a semi-dark room is strong, and it lacks convenience and is not preferable for spot analysis. Also, the method using a 3D scanner is suitable for grasping the entire local sagging, but has a large detection limit and is not suitable for spot measurement.

As described above, various methods for grasping the amount of sagging have been proposed, but although the degree of sagging can be grasped by any method, changes on the skin surface are associated with changes in physical properties of the skin for easy confirmation. Currently there is no measuring method.

Tomonobu Ezure, Sagging of the cheek is related to skin elasticity, fat mass and mimetic muscle function: Skin Res Technol. , Aug;15(3):299-305, 2009 Tomonobu Ezure, Involvement of upper check sagging in nasolabial fold formation. : Skin Res. Technol. , 18:259-264, 2012.

JP 2010-51717 A JP-A-10-95713 JP-A-10-43141 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-4105 JP 2011-15862 A

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of three-dimensionally evaluating the amount of skin sagging by a simpler method.

In order to improve the problems of the prior art, it was not easy to directly measure the slackness or capture the slight difference, and there were restrictions on the measurement site, and the burden on the subject was large. studied diligently. As a result of the study, in the method of evaluating the degree of skin sagging by superimposing and analyzing images of two postures of horizontal and vertical positions, in addition to the measurement points, around the measurement points, it was found that changes in skin shape When a deformable marking was applied along with it, it was discovered that the movement of the measurement point (displacement distance), the direction of movement of the measurement point (displacement direction), and the movement of the skin around the measurement point differed greatly depending on the subject. bottom. Therefore, in order to grasp this difference, various analyzes were conducted, and the displacement distance of the measurement point obtained when images of two postures, horizontal and vertical, were superimposed, and the line connecting the position before and after the displacement of the measurement point and the displacement By analyzing the angle (displacement angle) formed by the horizontal line that passes through the latter point and the shape change of the marking, it was found that it became possible to measure the amount of sagging of the skin more easily and directly. .
That is, the present invention
[1] As the first invention,
In the method of measuring the amount of skin sagging by overlapping a horizontal skin surface image and a vertical skin surface image,
A method for measuring the amount of skin sagging, including the step of providing an enclosing portion deformable in accordance with changes in the shape of the skin at an arbitrary distance from the measurement point.
[2] As the second invention,
In the method for measuring the amount of skin sagging, (1) the step of setting a reference point on the subject's skin, (2) the step of setting a point different from the reference point as the measurement point, and step (4) of providing an enclosing part that can be deformed according to the shape change of the skin; imaging the skin surface in a horizontal position with the subject in the supine position, including at least the reference point and the measurement point; Step (6) of taking an image of the skin surface in a vertical position in a sitting or standing position, including at least a reference point and a measurement point. Measure at least one of the following from the images obtained in steps (4) and (5). (a-1) Displacement distance (a-2) Displacement direction (a-3) Displacement angle (a-4) Azimuth angle (a-5) Length ratio (a-6) Measurement of skin sagging amount including area The method.
[3] As the third invention,
In the step (6), from the images obtained in the step (4) and the step (5), at least one of the following is measured, the value obtained in the vertical position and the value obtained in the horizontal position The measurement method according to the second invention, including the step of obtaining the amount of change from .
(a-4) Azimuth angle (a-5) Length ratio (a-6) Area This is a method for determining the cause of slack from the results obtained.
[5] As the fifth invention,
A method of measuring the amount of sagging of the skin by the method according to the second or third invention, determining the cause of sagging from the obtained results, and providing products and/or services corresponding to the cause.
[6] As an invention,
An apparatus used in the method according to the first to third inventions.

The measurement method of the present invention reflects the unevenness of the measurement site, can easily and accurately measure the amount of sagging of the skin, can determine the relationship with changes in physical properties of the skin, and can be applied to cosmetics and the like. effects can be evaluated.
For example, providing users with beauty information such as confirming the effects of beauty treatments, evaluating the effects of long-term use of cosmetics, and identifying areas where cosmetics should be used intensively for greater effects. It is also possible to apply to

Furthermore, the measurement method of the present invention can be used to measure the skin of the whole body, such as the entire face, parts of the face such as the corners of the eyes, eyelids, and cheeks, limbs such as the upper arms and thighs, the chest, abdomen, and buttocks. . In addition, the target objects for evaluating the effect on sagging are not limited to external skin compositions such as pharmaceuticals, quasi-drugs, and cosmetics. It can be used for general objects that require evaluation of slackness, such as supplements and underwear. Naturally, it can be applied not only to humans but also to animals.
In addition, as a secondary effect, it is possible to predict the internal state of the skin from the amount of sagging, provide cosmetics suitable for the subject, and use it as a counseling tool.

Setting example of measurement point, enclosure, reference point, and scale Illustration of displacement direction Illustration of displacement angle Illustration of azimuth angle Relationship between age and displacement distance Relationship between whole body subcutaneous fat percentage and displacement distance Relationship between displacement angle and stratum corneum water content Relationship between displacement angle and R7 (elasticity) Relationship between age and rate of azimuth change Relationship between stratum corneum moisture content and azimuth angle change rate Relationship between collagen density and rate of azimuthal angle change Relationship between whole body subcutaneous fat percentage and length ratio change rate Relationship between collagen density and length ratio change rate Relationship between stratum corneum area and length ratio change rate Relationship between age and long-term ratio change Relationship between whole body subcutaneous fat percentage and area change rate

The present invention captures an image of a portion including an arbitrary measurement point at horizontal and vertical positions, superimposes the obtained images, measures and evaluates the position of the measurement point and/or the surrounding portion, and morphological changes. Thus, the present invention provides methods for measuring the amount of sagging, evaluating sagging, evaluating the degree of improvement of sagging, providing methods for improving sagging, and estimating and judging internal changes such as skin and body conditions and changes.

The reference point of the present invention is provided for the purpose of appropriately superimposing the images obtained at each site when evaluating changes in the horizontal and vertical positions of the site to be measured. Therefore, it is not always necessary to mark the reference point, and for example, existing moles, eyebrows, etc. may be used as the reference point. When marking as a reference point, it is preferable that it is the part that moves the least when the posture is changed. The root of the nose, tip of the nose, philtrum, chin, labial groove, outer corner of the eye, etc. are preferred. For the chest, the clavicle and laryngeal protuberance (larynx), for the abdomen, the ribs, and for the buttocks, the coccyx, sacrum, and other externally recognized points can be used as reference points.
At least one reference point is sufficient, but it is preferable to provide two or more reference points because the slack can be grasped more accurately.
Although not essential, it is preferable to install the scale so as to be parallel to the image pickup lens unit, because the distance and area can be calculated accurately in image processing. If the face is to be evaluated, it can be provided, for example, in the center of the forehead.

The number of measurement points in the present invention can be appropriately set at 1, 2 or more, depending on the purpose. For example, in the evaluation of cosmetics, if you want to check which part of the face is particularly effective when applied to the entire face, set multiple measurement points on arbitrary parts and compare the change in the amount of sagging at each measurement point. can be evaluated equally.
Regarding the method of marking the measurement points, when measuring the face, for example, the subject is placed in a sitting position, and a pen or the like is used directly at the intersection point of the vertical downward direction from the outer corner of the eye and the horizontal outward direction from the corner of the mouth, where significant sagging is thought to occur. Alternatively, it can be a seal such as a small circular color label.

The enclosing part in the present invention is provided for the purpose of grasping the change in a certain area including the measurement point. Therefore, it is sufficient that the surrounding portion is deformable with the movement of the skin so as not to hinder the movement of the skin in a certain area. For example, a method of directly using a pen or the like or a method of stamping with ink or the like can be used. A seal or the like made of a stretchable material can also be used as long as it deforms with the movement of the skin. By providing a deformable surrounding portion, three-dimensional changes such as stretching and distortion of the skin can be grasped.

The position of the enclosing part may be provided so as to enclose the circumference of the measurement point, and may be a circle, an ellipse, or other shapes, but a circle or an ellipse can capture subtle changes in the skin. Therefore, it is more preferable. In this case, it is not necessary to completely close the area. A dashed line or a dotted line may be used. Even if the area is partially open, there is no problem as long as the change can be grasped with the movement of the skin. Also, although it is not necessary to have the measurement point in the center of the enclosing part, it is preferable to stamp with ink or the like in a substantially circular shape around the measurement point in order to easily grasp the change.

An imaging method is not particularly limited. For example, a digital camera, a film camera, an instant camera, etc. can be used. After obtaining an analog image, it may be taken into an arbitrary device and converted into a digital image, and then used.

The method of obtaining the horizontal skin surface image and the vertical skin surface image is not particularly limited. For example, a horizontal skin surface image is obtained by imaging the subject lying on his or her back on a bed (supine position), and the subject is placed in a chair (sitting position) or standing against a wall (standing position). position) to obtain a vertical skin surface image.

The order of imaging is not particularly limited, but horizontal and vertical skin surface images may be captured separately and the reference point may be superimposed later, or horizontal or vertical skin surface images may be superimposed using an application that can superimpose images. After one side of the skin surface image is captured, the other side image may be captured by aligning the reference points of the obtained image.

Imaging is performed so as to include at least one reference point and measurement point. The enclosing part does not necessarily have to be imaged in its entirety. It is possible to measure and evaluate the sag even if part of the surrounding portion is not included in the image. This is because changes in the shape, area, etc. of the enclosing portion included in the image can be grasped.

The positions of the measurement point and the imaging lens in imaging are not particularly limited. For example, when measuring the face, if the camera lens is fixed parallel to the surface where the back of the head is in contact and at a constant distance, images should be taken horizontally and vertically under the same conditions. can be done. It is sufficient if the conditions are constant before and after the measurement, and it is not necessary to make the camera lens parallel to the surface with which the head is in contact.

The amount of sagging can be measured by superimposing the reference points after obtaining the horizontal and vertical images of the skin surface, and then measuring the changes in the measurement points and the surrounding area on tracing paper. After taking an image using an application or the like capable of superimposing and taking an image, the measurement may be performed directly using a known image analysis device or the like.

The cause of sagging can be determined by measuring the amount of sagging of the subject's arbitrary skin by the method of the present application and using correlation information with physical properties and changes in the skin, which will be described later.
For example, the amount of sagging and the physical properties of the skin of any plurality of people are measured in advance, the relationship between them is used as a database, the amount of sagging of the subject is compared with the database, and the cause of the sagging of the subject is determined. . In addition, based on the determination result, it is possible to provide an external skin preparation or an orally administered preparation that addresses the cause of sagging.

Each parameter will be described below.
The "displacement distance" of the measurement point is obtained by superimposing the vertical skin surface image and the horizontal skin surface image obtained by the above method using the reference point as a guide, and using the measurement point of the horizontal skin surface image as the starting point, It means the distance between both points when the measurement point of the vertical skin surface image is the end point. The degree of slack can be grasped by the "displacement distance".

The "displacement direction" of the measurement point refers to the direction of a line starting from the measurement point of the horizontal skin surface image and ending at the measurement point of the vertical skin surface image. The surface image and the vertical skin surface image are superimposed using a reference point as a guide, and the horizontal skin surface image measurement point is the starting point, and the vertical skin surface image measurement point is the end point. It means which direction the arrow is pointing.
For example, if the measurement point is a person's cheek, it means whether the arrow is in the direction of the center line of the face (inward direction) or in the opposite direction to the center line direction of the face (outward direction). (see Figure 2).

The “displacement angle” refers to the angle formed by the horizontal line and the line connecting each measurement point of the horizontal skin surface image and the vertical skin surface image. The skin surface images are superimposed using reference points, etc. as a guide, and the measurement point of the horizontal skin surface image is the starting point, and the measurement point of the vertical skin surface image is the ending point. and the positive angle (= θ ₁ in the figure) formed when the horizontal line passing through the end point (the line perpendicular to the direction of gravity of the earth) is set as the X axis (see Fig. 3).
The direction of sagging of the skin can be grasped from the displacement angle.
For the displacement angle, the obtained value may be evaluated as it is, or a value obtained by subtracting 90° from the obtained value may be used as the displacement angle evaluation value (Equation 1 ). Note that the relationship between the displacement angle and the direction of sagging differs depending on the location of the measurement point (if it is a cheek, whether it is the left cheek or the right cheek) and whether the photographed image is a mirror image or a normal image. It is necessary to adjust it appropriately and grasp it. In FIG. 3, a measurement point is provided on the left cheek, and a mirror image is obtained for analysis.

"Azimuth" means the angle between the line of absolute maximum length of the object and the horizon. Specifically, it means the negative angle (= θ ₂ in the drawing) formed between the horizontal line and the line connecting the maximum length points of the enclosing portion when it is assumed that the enclosing portion is all represented by solid lines. (See Figure 4). From the azimuth angle, it is possible to grasp the distortion of the skin.

“Amount of change in azimuth angle” is the value obtained by subtracting the “azimuth angle obtained from the horizontal skin surface image” from the “azimuth angle obtained from the vertical skin surface image”. It is the value divided by the angle.
The amount of change in the azimuth angle can be multiplied by 100 to obtain the rate of change.

The “length ratio” is a value in which the length of the long axis of the enclosing portion is the denominator and the length of the short axis is the numerator, assuming that the enclosing portion is all represented by solid lines.
"Amount of change in length ratio" is the value obtained by subtracting "length ratio obtained from horizontal surface image" from "length ratio obtained from vertical surface image" as "length ratio obtained from horizontal surface image". is the divided value.
The amount of change in the length ratio can be multiplied by 100 to obtain the rate of change.

The “area” is the area of the enclosing part when it is assumed that the enclosing part is all represented by solid lines.
“Amount of change in area” is the value obtained by subtracting the “area value obtained from the horizontal skin surface image” from the “area value obtained from the vertical skin surface image” as the “area value obtained from the horizontal skin surface image”. is the divided value.
The area change amount can be multiplied by 100 to obtain a rate of change.
Since the surrounding part is provided so as to deform with changes in the skin, even if the marking is done using a bottle cap or the like, when the skin is pulled downward by gravity, the surrounding part is also pulled downward. As a result, the area of the enclosing portion is perceived differently than the initial marking area.

Specific methods for measuring and analyzing the amount of skin sagging will be specifically described below, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Forty healthy women in their twenties to fifties were used as subjects for measuring the amount of sagging of the facial skin. Table 1 shows the number of subjects in each age group.

<Obtaining a horizontal skin surface image and a vertical skin surface image>
With the subject sitting and looking forward, a small blue circular sticker (5 mm in diameter) was attached to the left half of the subject's face at the intersection of the vertical downward direction from the outer corner of the eye and the horizontal outward direction from the corner of the mouth. Next, apply eyeliner to the circular part of the bottle cap with an outer diameter of 27 mm (inner diameter of 25 mm), and stamp it on the skin around the small circular sticker (= measurement point) that was previously attached to the cheek. A mark was added to indicate the “enclosed portion”. Furthermore, small circular stickers were attached to the center between the eyebrows, the highest part of the nose, the center of the chin, the peak of the eyebrows, and the corners of the eyes, and these were used as reference points. In addition, as a scale, Casmatch (color chart for image correction, Bearmedic Co., Ltd.) was attached to the center of the forehead so that one side was almost horizontal.

<Photography of the part to be measured>
The test subject, having the points of measurement, encircled part, reference points and scale attached by the method described above, is placed in a supine position on a bed. An imaging camera was placed in front of the face of the subject lying on his back, and a horizontal photograph was taken (mirror image). A smartphone in which an overlay application (Overlay Camera: provided by ddquick) was installed in advance was used for photographing. The obtained image was used as a horizontal skin surface image.
Next, the subject's posture is changed to a sitting position, the camera for image capture is installed in front of the subject's face, and the horizontal position skin surface image taken earlier is called up on the smartphone screen, and the reference point is superimposed. (mirror image). This was used as the vertical skin surface image. In addition, at this time, the accuracy of the analysis result is improved by photographing a plurality of times.

<Measurement of slack amount>
(1) First, open an image in which the vertical skin surface image and the horizontal skin surface image are overlapped, and measure the vertical skin surface image with one line connecting the vertical and horizontal measurement points on this image. Draw a horizontal line through the points and save.
(1-2) "Displacement distance of the measurement point" is obtained by calling the image saved in (1) on the image processing software (WinROOF: Mitani Shoji, hereinafter the same), and selecting one of the scales on the same screen. After setting one side to have a length of 1 cm for calibration, the length of one line connecting the vertical and horizontal measurement points was calculated.
(1-3) “Displacement angle” is obtained by calling the image saved in (1) on the image processing software, and connecting the measurement points of the vertical and horizontal skin surface images with a single line connecting the vertical and horizontal measurement points. I dragged the horizontal line that passes through and calculated the angle that these two lines make.
(2) Next, an image in which the vertical skin surface image and the horizontal skin surface image are overlapped was printed on paper. The vertical and horizontal enclosing portions on the output image and any one side of the scale on the same screen were traced with a pen so as not to overlap on the tracing paper, and the image was saved. On the image processing software, the previously saved image was called, and one side of the scale on the screen was set to have a length of 1 cm for calibration.
(2-1) "Azimuth" is subjected to binarization processing with an appropriate threshold value, and the enclosed portion is designated as a range. Next, the azimuth angle was selected and calculated from among the shape feature items.
(2-2) "Long-short ratio" was subjected to binarization processing with an appropriate threshold value, and the enclosing part was designated as a range. Next, the length ratio of the ellipse was selected and calculated from among the shape feature items.
(2-3) "Area" is binarized with an appropriate threshold value, and the enclosing portion is designated as a range. Next, the area in the shape feature item was selected and calculated.

<Relationship between other factors and sagging amount>
In addition to measuring the amount of sagging of the facial skin, the water content of the stratum corneum, skin elasticity, collagen density in the dermis, the area of stratum corneum cells, and the subcutaneous fat percentage of the whole body were measured. It goes without saying that the physical properties of the skin are not limited to those described below, and that other physical properties can be used.
<Measurement conditions>
(1) Acclimation time After washing the face with a cleansing agent and facial cleanser, the subject was allowed to acclimatize for 15 minutes or more in the same environment as the measurement room before taking measurements.
(2) Environmental conditions of the measurement room The environment of the measurement room was set at a temperature of 22°C and a humidity of 50%.
<Measurement items>
(1) Stratum corneum moisture content The stratum corneum moisture content was measured using SKICON-200EX (manufactured by Yayoi Co., Ltd.). The water content at the measurement points in the horizontal position was measured five times, and the average value was taken as the stratum corneum water content.
(2) Skin elasticity Skin elasticity was measured using a cutometer (manufactured by Courage and Khazaka, MPA580). The measurement conditions were a probe measurement opening of 2 mm, negative pressure of 300 mbar, negative pressure time and negative pressure release time of 5 seconds each. The result uses elasticity (=R7) (the value obtained by dividing the return distance after 0.1 seconds after releasing the negative pressure by the maximum stretch distance after 5 seconds of negative pressure, that is, the instantaneous return rate of the skin with respect to the maximum stretch). board. The skin elasticity was measured four times at the measurement points in the horizontal position, and the average value was taken as the skin elasticity value.
(3) Dermal Collagen Density Dermal collagen density was measured using an ultrasonic dermal imager, DermaLab (manufactured by Cortex Technology).
Gain (sensitivity) is set to 7, measurement points in the horizontal position are measured 5 times, and Int. The average value of the parameters was taken as the collagen density value in the dermis.
(4) Percentage of whole body subcutaneous fat The percentage of whole body subcutaneous fat was measured using a body composition meter Karada Scan (manufactured by Omron, HBF-375).
The person stepped on the measuring instrument with bare feet and measured once, and the value was defined as the total body subcutaneous fat percentage.
(5) Area of stratum corneum Using a stratum corneum checker (plastic plate type, manufactured by Promotool), stratum corneum cells at the measurement points in the horizontal position were collected. The stratum corneum adhesive part of the tape was immersed in ethanol for 10 minutes, air-dried for 10 to 30 minutes, and immersed in stratum corneum staining solution (naphthol blue black 0.1 g, sodium acetate 0.82 g, acetic acid 9 g, distilled water remaining) for 30 minutes. bottom. After washing with running water for 10 minutes, it was air-dried overnight. A stratum corneum image after the above processing was acquired with a microscope with a photographing function (BZ-X700, KEYENCE, 20x), the outline of the cells on the printed out image was traced on tracing paper, and a scanner (Docucenter-VC4476 , Fuji Xerox). After extracting the contour of the cell on the image analysis software, the area within the contour was measured.
<Analysis>
After Pearson's correlation analysis was performed for each parameter analysis, a multiple comparison test was performed using the Tukey-Kramer method for significant differences.

FIG. 5 is a scatter diagram of displacement distance and age.
A strong correlation (R = 0.65 p < 0.01) was confirmed between the displacement distance of the measurement point by two postures and age. From this, it was clarified that the displacement distance at the measurement point increased and the amount of slack at the measurement point increased with age.

FIG. 6 is a scatter diagram of the displacement distance of measurement points and the whole body subcutaneous fat percentage. A weak correlation (R=0.24 p<0.01) was identified between displacement distance and total body subcutaneous fat percentage. It became clear that the higher the whole body subcutaneous fat percentage, the greater the amount of sagging at the measurement point.

Relationship between displacement angle and other parameters In this experiment, the phenomenon that the displacement angle formed by the line connecting the positions of the measurement points before and after displacement and the horizontal line passing through the points after displacement increased beyond 90° Indicates that the measurement point moves toward the center line of the face when changing posture. Conversely, the phenomenon of less than 90° indicates that the measurement point moves outward from the center line of the face when the posture is changed from the supine position to the sitting position. Furthermore, this displacement angle has a negative correlation with the stratum corneum water content at the measurement point (R = -0.26 p < 0.01), and a negative correlation with the parameter R7 indicating skin elasticity at the measurement point ( R=−0.46p<0.01) was confirmed (FIGS. 7 and 8). Furthermore, a positive correlation was confirmed with age. (R=0.25 p<0.01). From this, it is clear that as the displacement angle formed by the line connecting the positions before and after the displacement of the measurement point and the horizontal line passing through the point after displacement increases, the moisture content and elasticity of the skin at the measurement point decrease, and the age increases. became.

Relationship between azimuth angle and other parameters The rate of change of azimuth angle (the angle formed by the absolute maximum length line and the horizontal line of the enclosed part) in two postures showed a positive correlation with age (R = 0.43 p <0.01) (Fig. 9). The increase in the azimuth angle indicates that the angle of the maximum length line of the enclosing part changes from oblique to vertical when the posture is changed from the supine position to the sitting position. This is due to the fact that the position closer to the tip of the chin undergoes a greater positional change due to the change in posture than the position farther away. Furthermore, it became clear that the tendency becomes remarkable with the age increase. On the other hand, the rate of change of the azimuth angle in the two postures has a negative correlation with the stratum corneum water content at the measurement point and the collagen density (R = -0.27 p < 0.01, R = -0.25 p < 0 .01). (FIGS. 10 and 11) Therefore, it can be inferred that the rate of change in the azimuth angle caused by changing the posture is influenced by the age and the properties of the dermis and stratum corneum.

Relationship between shape change (length ratio, area) of the surrounding part and other parameters There is a negative correlation between the length ratio change rate and the whole body subcutaneous fat percentage (R = -0.31, p < 0.01), collagen A positive correlation (R = 0.36, p < 0.01, R = 0.36, p < 0.01) was observed with density and stratum corneum cell area.
A decrease in the rate of change in length ratio indicates that the enclosing part changes from a perfect circular shape to an elliptical shape. It represents an increase in distortion caused by
It was found that the ratio of subcutaneous fat of the whole body increased, the collagen density at the measurement point and the area of stratum corneum cells decreased, and the rate of change in length ratio of the surrounding part caused by changing posture decreased. can be assumed to increase. On the other hand, the relationship between age and age could not be confirmed for this long-short ratio change rate (FIGS. 12 to 15).
On the other hand, the area change rate has a negative correlation with the whole body subcutaneous fat percentage (R = -0.21, p < 0.01), and the relationship with other parameters is also similar to the length ratio change rate. It became clear that (FIG. 16) From this, it can be inferred that the length ratio change rate and the area change rate caused by changing the posture are affected by the properties of the body and skin, regardless of age.

From these results, it can be said that if the relationship between the amount of sagging obtained by using the method of the present application and various skin properties is grasped in advance, it will be possible to determine the cause of sagging of the subject from the amount of sagging of the subject. .

As described above, if the method of the present invention is used, the amount of sagging can be measured in a simple manner, and the cause of the sagging can also be estimated and determined, making it possible to make better proposals for improving the sagging. .

Claims (4)

In the method for measuring the amount of skin sagging, (1) the step of setting a reference point on the subject's skin, (2) the step of setting a point different from the reference point as the measurement point, and step (4) of providing an enclosing portion that can be deformed according to changes in the shape of the skin; step (5) of imaging the skin surface in a horizontal position in a state in which the subject is placed in a supine position and includes at least reference points and measurement points; Step (6) Imaging the skin surface in the vertical position with the subject in a sitting or standing position, including at least the reference point and the measurement point. From the images obtained in steps (4) and (5), the following measuring at least one
(a -3) Displacement angle (a-4) Azimuth angle (a-5) Length ratio
A method for measuring the amount of skin sagging, including In the method for measuring the amount of skin sagging, (1) the step of setting a reference point on the subject's skin, (2) the step of setting a point different from the reference point as the measurement point, and step (4) of providing an enclosing portion that can be deformed according to changes in the shape of the skin; step (5) of imaging the skin surface in a horizontal position in a state in which the subject is placed in a supine position and includes at least reference points and measurement points; Step (6) Imaging the skin surface in the vertical position with the subject in a sitting or standing position, including at least the reference point and the measurement point. From the images obtained in steps (4) and (5), the following The step of measuring at least one (a-1) displacement distance (a-3) displacement angle (a-4) azimuth angle (a-5) long-short ratio (a-6) skin sagging amount measurement method including area Measure the amount of slack,
(7) A method of determining the cause of the slack from at least one of the following items obtained in advance corresponding to the item selected in (6) and/or its rate of change.
(b-1) Correlation between displacement distance and whole body subcutaneous fat percentage
(b-2) Correlation between displacement angle and stratum corneum moisture content
(b-3) Correlation between displacement angle and R7 (elasticity)
(b-4) Correlation between azimuth angle change rate and age
(b-5) Correlation between azimuth angle change rate and stratum corneum moisture content
(b-6) Correlation between azimuth angle change rate and collagen density
(b-7) Correlation between length ratio change rate and whole body subcutaneous fat percentage
(b-8) Correlation between length ratio change rate and collagen density
(b-9) Correlation between length ratio change rate and stratum corneum area
(b-10) Correlation between long-short ratio change rate and age
(b-11) Correlation between area change rate and whole body subcutaneous fat percentage A method for determining the cause of slackness from the results obtained by the method according to claim 1 or 2 and providing goods and/or services corresponding to the cause. Apparatus using the method according to claim 1 or 2 .

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