Polarization-resolved second-harmonic-generation imaging of dermal collagen fiber in prewrinkled and wrinkled skins of ultraviolet-B-exposed mouse

Skin wrinkling is a typical symptom of cutaneous photoaging; however, the skin wrinkling depends on not only the actual age but also exposure history to ultraviolet B (UVB) rays in individuals. Therefore, there is considerable need for its assessment technique in vivo in skin cosmetics and antiaging dermatology. Wrinkles always appear as linear grooves in the skin, and dermal collagen fibers play an important role to determine the morphology and mechanical properties of the skin. Therefore, an optical probe sensitive to dermal collagen fiber and its orientation will be useful. Polarization-resolved second-harmonic-generation (SHG) microscopy is a promising approach for in vivo evaluation of collagen fiber orientation because the efficiency of SHG light is sensitive to collagen fiber orientation when the incident light is linearly polarized. We investigate orientation change of dermal collagen fiber in prewrinkled and wrinkled skins of the UVB-exposed mouse model using polarization-resolved SHG microscopy. A polarization anisotropic image of the SHG light indicates that the change of collagen fiber orientation starts in the prewrinkled skin of UVB-exposed mice, then the wrinkle appears. Furthermore, the dominant direction of collagen fiber orientation in the prewrinkled skin is significantly parallel to the wrinkle direction in the wrinkled skin. This result implies that the change of collagen fiber orientation is a trigger of wrinkling in cutaneous photoaging.