Figure 1: Our biophysically-based model allows to reproduce the changes in the optical properties of skin due to aging, which greatly affects its appearance. Structural changes and varying chromophore concentrations yield changes in the scattering and absorption coefficients, producing paler and slightly more translucent skin. The image shows examples for 30-and 80-year-olds, with mediterranean skin (type III) for the male, and caucasian (type I) for the female. The small inset shows the very different scattering profiles for each one: A and B correspond to the old and young males respectively, while C and D correspond to the old and young females. All the rendered images in the paper are best viewed in the digital version.
AbstractThis paper presents a time-varying, multi-layered biophysically-based model of the optical properties of human skin, suitable for simulating appearance changes due to aging. We have identified the key aspects that cause such changes, both in terms of the structure of skin and its chromophore concentrations, and rely on the extensive medical and optical tissue literature for accurate data. Our model can be expressed in terms of biophysical parameters, optical parameters commonly used in graphics and rendering (such as spectral absorption and scattering coefficients), or more intuitively with higher-level parameters such as age, gender, skin care or skin type. It can be used with any rendering algorithm that uses diffusion profiles, and it allows to automatically simulate different types of skin at different stages of aging, avoiding the need for artistic input or costly capture processes.