T-rays help to characterise psoriasis and skin cancer

This is the claim of scientists from Warwick University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) who have built a more detailed picture of the skin’s structure and hydration levels by analysing T-rays fired from several different angles.

Warwick leads breakthrough in terahertz imaging

Their method, detailed in Advanced Photonics Research, could provide a new tool for scientists and clinicians for characterising the properties of skin in individuals.

Sitting between infrared and WiFi on the electromagnetic spectrum, T-rays (Terahertz (THz)) radiation sees through plastics, ceramics and clothes. They are non-ionising also, so safe for use in biological settings.

Only the T-rays passing through the outer layers of skin (stratum corneum and epidermis) before being reflected back can be detected, making T-ray imaging a potentially effective way of monitoring these outermost layers. The University said that to test this, terahertz light is focused onto the skin via a prism to align the ray in a particular focal plane. Depending on the properties of the skin, that light will be reflected back slightly differently. Scientists can then compare the properties of the light before and after it enters the skin.