Thermology and facial telethermography. Part I: History and technical review

Abstract

This paper is a review of historical trends and technical advances in measurement of skin temperature. Most biochemical processes generate heat which must be dissipated. Skin is the major route for heat dissipation using blood as the heat exchange fluid. Skin temperature is an indicator of aberrations in metabolism, hemodynamics or in neuronal thermoregulatory processes. Since most of the heat dissipation of skin is by infrared blackbody emission, skin temperature should be measured without contact by monitoring the emitted infrared radiation. This has been the basis of telethermography. Recent advances in computing technology combined with advanced infrared sensor technology has led to the development of dynamic area telethermometry (DAT) which promises to be as an important new quantitative method to analyse the pathophysiology of thermoregulatory processes.