Characteristics of light scattering by normal and modified areas of skin tissue

Results from numerical calculations and experimental studies of the optical backscattering coefficients and changes in the polarization characteristics of normal and modified (birthmark, scar) skin tissue structures are presented. It is shown that determining the Mueller matrix is an effective way of detecting changes in the structure of skin tissue in vivo which reflects changes in the depolarization of light by an object for different polarization parameters of the incident (probe) radiation. The depolarization of light is found to be symmetric for normal areas of skin and antisymmetric for skin tissue with a modified structure. It is proposed that the polarization characteristics of scattered radiation be used in detecting damaged areas of skin tissue.