Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 June 2002
Pulsed photoacoustic spectroscopy (PPAS) provides a convenient means for in vivo and in situ monitoring of human skin properties and surface concentrations of locally applied substances, such as drugs and cosmetics. In this article, we applied the one-dimensional theoretical model of Mandelis and Royce (J. Appl. Phys. 50, 6 (1979)) to simulate the photoacoustic response of human skin and diffusion phenomena through it, for various optical absorption coefficients and sample thicknesses. This approach is analyzed through the temperature and pressure variations in the photoacoustic cell.