CPC A61B 5/443 (2013.01) [A61B 5/01 (2013.01); A61B 2562/0271 (2013.01)] | 7 Claims |
1. A method for determining a transepidermal water loss value, the method comprising:
(a) applying a variable temperature probe to an area of a skin of a subject;
(b) changing a temperature of the variable temperature probe applied to the area of the skin of the subject from a preset temperature value, which is a temperature of the area of the skin of the subject;
(c) determining a sensed temperature value, which is a value of the temperature of the variable temperature probe applied to the area of the skin of the subject, at which value the subject senses the changing;
(d) calculating a sensed temperature difference for the area of the skin of the subject as a difference between the sensed temperature value and the preset temperature value; and
(e) determining a transepidermal water loss in the area of the skin of the subject based on the calculated sensed temperature difference for the area of the skin of the subject from a pre-determined relationship between a transepidermal water loss and a sensed temperature difference for a population of subjects for the same skin area, wherein the predetermined relationship provides a transepidermal water loss value for each of a plurality of temperature difference intervals; and wherein said determining (e) further comprises identifying a temperature difference interval among said plurality to which the sensed temperature difference belongs, and assigning a transepidermal water loss value that corresponds to the identified temperature difference interval according to the predetermined relationship as a value of the transepidermal water loss in the area of the skin of the subject.
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