Quantitative Assessment of Hyperpigmentation Changes in Human Skin after Microneedle Mesotherapy Using the Gray-Level Co-Occurrence Matrix (GLCM) Method

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study was to quantitatively assess the effectiveness of microneedle mesotherapy in reducing skin discoloration. The results were analyzed using the gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) method. Material and methods: The skin of the forearm (7 × 7 cm) of 12 women aged 29 to 68 was examined. Microneedle mesotherapy was performed using a dermapen with a preparation containing 12% ascorbic acid. Each of the volunteers underwent a series of four microneedle mesotherapy treatments. The effectiveness of the treatment was quantified using the methods of image analysis and processing. A series of clinical images were taken in cross-polarized light before and after a series of cosmetic procedures. Then, the treated areas were analyzed by determining the parameters of the gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) algorithm: contrast and homogeneity. Results: During image pre-processing, the volunteers’ clinical images were separated into red (R), green (G) and blue (B) channels. The photos taken after the procedure show an increase in skin brightness compared to the photos taken before the procedure. The average increase in skin brightness after the treatment was 10.6%, the average decrease in GLCM contrast was 10.7%, and the average homogeneity increased by 14.5%. Based on the analysis, the greatest differences in the GLCM contrast were observed during tests performed in the B channel of the RGB scale. With a decrease in GLCM contrast, an increase in postoperative homogeneity of 0.1 was noted, which is 14.5%.