Determination of chemical agent optical clearing potential using in vitro human skin.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Optical clearing is a method that temporarily reduces the optical scattering of biological tissues. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS To determine the optical clearing potential (OCP) of various chemical agents, we examined the change in reduced scattering coefficients of in vitro human skin after application directly to the dermal side. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS We found that the mean agent OCP did not correlate with refractive index or osmolality. Lipophilic hyperosmotic agents had a mean OCP less than unity, indicating increased optical scattering.