The surface of the skin plays an important role in the diagnosis of many clinical conditions, in relation to ageing and the acceptance of many consumer products. Considerable resource has been applied to skin in terms of cancer diagnosis but the actual surface finish of the tissue has been frequently overlooked. An optical system and associated imaging processing method has been developed which analyses the speckle pattern, recorded on a basic digital imaging system, and provides a quantitative analysis of the surface roughness. Results demonstrate that these measurements can be linked with more qualitative perceptions of skin quality (roughness).