Evaluation tool and method for evaluating pigmented spots on skin

Abstract

To provide an evaluation tool that allows more accurate visual assessment of the degree of pigmentation of pigmented spots.SOLUTION: The invention provides an evaluation tool 1 comprising a display unit 2 that displays a plurality of photographs 3 of skin, each containing pigmented spots with mutually differing degrees of pigmentation, arranged in increasing or decreasing order of the degree, and associated with indices 4a, 4b indicating the degree of pigmentation of the pigmented spots. The invention also provides an evaluation method using the evaluation tool 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an evaluation tool and a method for evaluating pigmented spots on the skin, which can easily and accurately evaluate the degree of pigmentation of pigmented spots on the skin. [Background technology]

[0002] When evaluating the effectiveness of laser treatments or skin whitening agents aimed at improving pigmented spots on the skin (especially age spots), visual evaluation by a dermatologist is the standard method. Tools have been developed to aid in such visual evaluation.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes an invention relating to a method for quantitatively, simply, and accurately evaluating the degree of skin pigmentation using objective parameters, and an evaluation tool suitable for use in said method. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 describes a method for easily and accurately evaluating the degree of pigmentation of a pigmented area of ​​skin by comparing the area with a plurality of color samples that differ at least in brightness, and using the color sample that most closely resembles the pigmented area of ​​skin and the brightness of the color sample as the pigmentation evaluation value of the skin in that area. Patent document 1 also describes a skin pigmentation degree evaluation tool that displays multiple color samples with fixed hue and / or saturation but different brightness on a support, along with symbols representing each brightness. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-204901 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The above-mentioned method had problems such as difficulty in evaluation due to differences in how colors appear on color samples and on actual skin, and difficulty in detecting subtle changes due to large differences in brightness between adjacent color samples. In addition, the brightness (L) before and after treatment or use of whitening agents was measured by equipment using a color difference meter or spectrophotometer. * Although instrumental measurements can be performed objectively, they require the preparation of equipment, which makes them less convenient for clinical use.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an evaluation tool that enables more accurate visual evaluation of the degree of pigmentation (degree of darkness) of pigmented spots on the skin. Another object of the present invention is to provide an evaluation tool that can easily quantitatively evaluate the degree of pigmentation of pigmented spots by correlating a photograph of skin containing pigmented spots with quantitative indicators. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for more accurately visually evaluating the degree of pigmentation of pigmented spots. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] That is, the present invention for solving the above problems is: This is an evaluation tool equipped with a display unit that displays multiple photographs of skin including pigmented spots from the same type of case, each with different degrees of pigmentation, in order of increasing or decreasing degree of pigmentation, corresponding to an index indicating the degree of pigmentation of the pigmented spots.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pigment spots in the photograph are superficial pigment spots.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pigmented spot in the photograph is any one of superficial pigmented spots, such as senile lentigo, ephelides, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and melasma.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the evaluation tool, the pigmented spot in the photograph is a senile lentigo.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the evaluation tool, the display unit is a display device.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the evaluation tool, the index is a numerical value that indirectly indicates the degree of pigmentation of a pigmented spot, and the range of numerical values ​​corresponding to adjacent photographs is constant.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the degree is brightness.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the photographs are the evaluation tool described above, and include a main pigment spot in the center of each photograph.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the photograph is circular.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the number of said photographs is seven or more.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the evaluation tool is such that the photograph at the end of the first row of photographs is also displayed at the opposite end of the second row of photographs.

[0018] The present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, provides a method for evaluating pigmentation spots, which identifies a photograph that most closely resembles the degree of pigmentation of the pigmentation spot on the skin by comparing the area where the pigmentation spot is present on the skin with a photograph included in the evaluation tool, and identifies the index associated with the identified photograph as an evaluation value of the pigmentation spot on the skin. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an evaluation tool that allows for more accurate visual evaluation of the density of pigmented spots on the skin. Furthermore, by associating a photograph of a pigmented spot with a quantitative index, an evaluation tool can be provided that can easily quantitatively evaluate the degree of pigmented spot darkness. Furthermore, it is possible to provide a method for more accurately visually evaluating the density of pigment spots. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an evaluation tool of the present invention, including photographs obtained in the examples. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a photograph of skin including pigmented spots displayed on a display unit. [Figure 3] Correlation between the index of the evaluation tool of the present invention and skin brightness (L* value) given in the examples [Figure 4] Correlation between the index score of each pigment spot using the evaluation tool of the present invention given in the examples and the measured value (L* value) using a color difference meter [Figure 5] Correlation between the evaluation value of each pigment spot using the color sample in the example and the measurement value (L* value) using a colorimeter DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] <Evaluation equipment> The present invention is an evaluation tool equipped with a display unit that displays multiple photographs of skin containing pigmented spots from the same type of case with different degrees of pigmentation, associated with an index indicating the degree of pigmentation of the pigmented spots, and arranged in order of decreasing or increasing degree of said degree. The evaluation tool may be any tool capable of displaying a photograph on a display section described below, and may be, for example, a flat object such as paper or a plastic plate, or an electronic device with a display device such as a tablet terminal.

[0022] (Display) The display unit is not particularly limited as long as it can display a color sample, and examples thereof include a paper surface, a plastic surface, and a display device. The display unit is preferably a display device, because this makes the appearance closer to that of actual pigmented spots on the skin, improving visibility.

[0023] (photograph) The evaluation tool of the present invention displays a plurality of skin photographs on the display unit. The photographs are of skin containing pigmented spots from the same case with different degrees of pigmentation, and of skin without pigmented spots from only one case. Here, the term "similar pigmented spots" refers to pigmented spots diagnosed as similar cases by a dermatologist through examination, and preferably pigmented spots of similar size and shape. This allows for a more accurate visual assessment of the actual extent of pigmentation on the skin.

[0024] Examples of the pigment spots include pigment spots caused by pigmentation. An example of the pigmentation spots is a pigmentation spot caused by the deposition of melanin pigment. Pigmented spots caused by melanin pigment deposition include superficial pigmented spots and deep pigmented spots. Further, examples of superficial pigmented spots include senile lentigo, ephelides, melasma, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and brown birthmarks (nevus spilus). Examples of deep pigmented spots include blue birthmarks (blue nevus), acquired dermal melanocytosis, nevus of Ota, and ectopic Mongolian spots. The evaluation tool of the present invention is preferably used for evaluating superficial lentigo, more preferably for evaluating senile lentigo. Therefore, the photograph included in the evaluation tool of the present invention preferably includes a photograph of senile lentigo.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in the examples described below, the photographs are taken after a dermatologist visually inspects the actual skin and diagnoses that the pigmentation is that of a similar case, and preferably are selected after multiple dermatologists have evaluated the degree of pigmentation. As will be described in detail in the Examples, multiple dermatologists equally set indices according to the degree of pigmentation of the pigmented spots on the photographs arranged in order of the degree of pigmentation, and scored the brightness (L * The results of measurements using a color difference meter showed that there was a correlation between the index and brightness of each pigmented spot. Furthermore, the index scores of skin pigmented spots using the evaluation tool created using the above method were more accurate than the evaluation values ​​of pigmented spots using color samples, based on the skin brightness measurement value (L * It was shown that the degree of pigmentation can be evaluated more accurately, with a high correlation with the saturation value. That is, in the present invention, it is preferable that the multiple photographs be selected after confirming that they can be equally sorted by multiple dermatologists in order of the degree of pigmentation of the pigmented spots contained therein, and that they are preferably linked to quantitative indicators. Furthermore, by using an evaluation tool on which a photograph selected by the above method is displayed, pigment spots can be evaluated more accurately even by visual evaluation.

[0026] (index) The evaluation tool of the present invention displays, on the display unit, the photograph and an index indicating the degree of pigmentation of the pigmented spot contained in the photograph.

[0027] The index may be defined as a qualitative index or a quantitative index depending on the type of pigmented spot to be evaluated. Examples of the qualitative indicators include the degree of pigmentation, such as size, conspicuousness, inconspicuousness, darkness, etc. These indications may be numerical values, character strings, or symbols indicating the grade. Examples of the quantitative index include a numerical value for color or a numerical value indirectly indicating the numerical value. These numerical values ​​may be further converted into a numerical value, a character string, or a symbol indicating a grade. More preferably, the index is quantitative. * It is a numerical value that indirectly indicates the color value or brightness.

[0028] The index may be a combination of the qualitative index and a quantitative index. For example, a numerical value for a color or a numerical value indirectly indicating the numerical value may be displayed together with a character string indicating the degree of pigmentation of the pigment spot.

[0029] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are merely examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0030] FIG. 1 is an explanatory plan view showing a first embodiment of the evaluation tool of the present invention. The evaluation tool 1 in this embodiment is a tablet terminal. As shown in Fig. 1, the evaluation tool 1 of the present invention includes a display unit 2. The display unit 2 is the display device of the tablet terminal. The evaluation tool of this embodiment is used mainly for evaluating superficial pigmentation spots, particularly senile pigmentation spots.

[0031] The display unit 2 displays a plurality of photographs 3 of skin including pigmented spots (senile lentigo) with different degrees of pigmentation. Note that the photographs referred to here may also include photographs of skin that do not include pigmented spots. The display unit 2 may have preferably 7 or more, more preferably 9 or more, and particularly preferably 11 or more of the above photographs. The number here refers to the number of photographs of skin including pigmented spots with different degrees of pigmentation. It may also be the total number of photographs including photographs of skin without pigmentation. By taking more than the above number of photographs, the difference in brightness between adjacent indicators becomes smaller, allowing for a more accurate evaluation of the degree of pigmentation. The display unit 2 may display multiple photos in a single horizontal or vertical row, subject to limitations imposed by the size of the display unit. Furthermore, if there are a large number of photos, they may be displayed in multiple rows. For example, two or three rows are preferable.

[0032] In this embodiment, nine types of skin photographs are displayed in two rows, an upper row and a lower row. The pigmented spots in the photographs have different levels of pigmentation. The difference in the level of pigmentation between adjacent photographs 3 is approximately equal.

[0033] The display unit 2 may display the nine types of skin photographs in order of decreasing pigmentation level, or in order of increasing pigmentation level.

[0034] In this embodiment, one of the extreme photographs in the first row may be displayed at the opposite extreme of the second row. For example, in Figure 1, the rightmost photo 3a in the top row and the leftmost photo 3b in the bottom row are the same photo. By displaying the same photo at the end of each row in this way, comparisons can be placed on either side of each photo, making it easier to compare the degree of pigmentation.

[0035] Furthermore, the display unit 2 displays an index 4a (numerical value) and an index 4b (character string) indicating the degree of pigmentation of the pigmented spot in association with the photograph 3.

[0036] In the photograph 3 of Figure 1, the difference in brightness of the pigmented spot between adjacent photographs is approximately uniform, and when the index is expressed as a numerical value, the range of the numerical values ​​corresponding to the adjacent photographs is constant. The range of the numerical values ​​of the index may be appropriately set depending on the definition of the degree of pigmentation of the pigmented spot. As shown in Figure 1, by linking a photograph with an index that indirectly represents the degree of pigmentation of a pigmented spot, such as a numerical value, the degree of pigmentation of the pigmented spot can be quantitatively evaluated when performing comparison matching.

[0037] The display unit 2 may also display a character string corresponding to the degree of pigmentation of the pigmented spot, like the indicator 4b. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the pigmentation may be assigned in order of degree as none, slight, mild, moderate, and severe, and displayed near the corresponding indicator 4a or the position corresponding to the photograph 3.

[0038] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a photograph 3 of skin containing pigmented spots, which is displayed on the display unit 2. As in Figure 2, the photograph 3 contains the main pigmented spot in the center of each photograph (dotted black circle). The shape of the photo 3 may be circular or rectangular. Preferably, it is circular as shown in FIG. Since the pigment spots are usually approximately circular, making the photograph circular improves the visibility of the pigment spots.

[0039] <Method for evaluating pigmented spots> The present invention is a method for evaluating pigmentation spots, which involves comparing and matching an area of ​​the skin where a pigmentation spot is present with a photograph included in the evaluation tool, thereby identifying a photograph that most closely resembles the degree of pigmentation of the skin, and specifying the index associated with the identified photograph as an evaluation value of the pigmentation spot on the skin.

[0040] The method of the present invention uses the above-mentioned evaluation tool of the present invention, and therefore, the area where the pigmentation spot is present on the subject can be easily compared with the photograph of the pigmentation spot included in the display section of the evaluation tool. Furthermore, an index of the degree of pigmentation of the pigmented spot corresponding to the identified photograph can be obtained.

[0041] The case used as the index and the skin case whose pigmentation level is evaluated using this index do not have to be of the same type.

[0042] As described above, the photographs of pigmented spots to be displayed on the display unit are preferably selected by a dermatologist. Therefore, the method of the present invention makes it possible to diagnose the degree of pigmentation of pigmented spots in a manner similar to the visual evaluation by a dermatologist, even though it is a non-therapeutic method. [Example]

[0043] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0044] (Photo selection) From facial photographs of 148 Japanese women with age spots (hereafter referred to as "lentigo") on their faces, eight photographs of spots with different degrees of pigmentation and one photograph of an area without pigmentation were selected. In the selection, a plurality of photographs with various degrees of pigmentation were selected from among the pigmented spots contained in the facial photographs. The photos were shuffled, and three testers trained in evaluating pigmentation sorted the photos in order of decreasing pigmentation, and judged whether everyone could see them in that order. If there was disagreement, they were replaced with other photos. This process was repeated several times, and nine potential candidates were selected from the 148 photos.

[0045] (Determine the order of photos) For these nine photographs, three dermatologists graded the degree of pigmentation from 0 (none) to 4 (high), in increments of 0.5 (higher grades indicate greater pigmentation). The order in which all three judges agreed on the classification results was determined as the order of the photographs included in the evaluation tool. Each photograph was assigned a number from 0 to 4 in increments of 0.5 as an index (Figure 1, Photo 3. Note that Photo 3a and Photo 3b are the same photograph. To make it easier to compare the degree of pigmentation, they are displayed in two places, on the far right of the top row and the far left of the bottom row).

[0046] (Compared to skin brightness) For the pigmented spots included in the photographs selected in Figure 1, the assigned index and the skin brightness (L * The correlation between the L * The values ​​were obtained by the tester measuring the areas where the pigmented spots were present on the faces of the people in the selected photographs using a color difference meter. * The smaller the value, the lower (darker) the skin brightness. As a result of the analysis, the higher the assigned index and the greater the degree of pigmentation of the pigment spot, the greater the L * The correlation coefficient was -0.9762, indicating a strong negative correlation. The above results indicate that the indices assigned to the selected photographs indirectly indicate the brightness of the pigmented spots on the skin shown in the photographs. The order of the photographs and the indices in Figure 1 were determined as the standard for the evaluation tool (hereinafter referred to as the grade standard). The display of the evaluation tool was an iPad (registered trademark) (sold by Apple Japan, Inc.), and each photograph was always displayed on the display at a consistent brightness and size.

[0047] (Verification of the usefulness of grade standards) To verify the usefulness of the created grading standard, three dermatologists visually evaluated the degree (intensity) of pigmentation in 102 facial pigmented spots on Japanese women in increments of 0.25, using the above-mentioned grading standard as a reference, and assigned a score. Note that although the grading standard index is in increments of 0.5, if the degree (intensity) of pigmentation was determined to fall between the increments, the score was assigned to a value between the increments (e.g., 2.25). These results were recorded as index scores. On the other hand, each dermatologist visually evaluated the same pigmented spot using a color sample (skin tone color scale, sold by Inforward Co., Ltd.) and recorded the evaluation value. In addition, the tester measured the lightness (L) of the same pigmented spot using a color difference meter. * The value was measured and recorded. Index scores and L * The correlation between the index score and the L* value, and the correlation between the evaluation score using the color sample and the L* value were analyzed. The results are shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5, respectively. The higher the index score, the greater the degree of pigmentation. The higher the evaluation score using the color sample, the greater the skin lightness. * The higher the value, the higher the skin brightness. * There is a negative correlation between the values, and the evaluation values ​​using color samples and L * A positive correlation was observed between the index score and L value, and it was confirmed that the brightness of pigmented spots could be accurately evaluated visually in both evaluations. * The absolute value of the correlation coefficient (0.5805) is the correlation coefficient between the evaluation value using the color sample and the L * It was confirmed that the absolute value of the correlation coefficient was greater than the value (0.4716). The above results demonstrate that visual evaluation using the evaluation tool of the present invention allows for more accurate visual evaluation of the degree of pigmentation of pigment spots compared to evaluation using conventional color samples. [Industrial Applicability]

[0048] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an evaluation tool and an evaluation method that are useful for visually evaluating pigmented spots on the skin. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1. Evaluation tools 2 Display section 3 Photos 4a,4b indicators

Claims

1. An evaluation tool having a display unit that displays a plurality of photographs of skin including pigmented spots of the same type of case, each having different degrees of pigmentation, in order of increasing or decreasing degree, corresponding to an index indicating the degree of the pigmented spots.

2. The evaluation tool according to claim 1 , wherein the pigmentation spot in the photograph is a superficial pigmentation spot.

3. The evaluation tool according to claim 2 , wherein the pigmented spot in the photograph is any one of superficial pigmented spots, such as senile lentigo, freckles, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and melasma.

4. The evaluation tool according to claim 3 , wherein the pigmented spot in the photograph is a senile lentigo.

5. The evaluation tool according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit is a display device.

6. The evaluation tool according to claim 1 , wherein the index is a numerical value indirectly indicating the degree of pigmentation, and the range of numerical values ​​corresponding to adjacent photographs is constant.

7. The evaluation tool according to claim 1 , wherein the degree is brightness.

8. The evaluation tool according to claim 1 , wherein the photographs include a main pigment spot in the center of each photograph.

9. The evaluation tool according to claim 8 , wherein the photograph is circular.

10. The evaluation tool according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the number of types of photographs is seven or more.

11. The photographs are further displayed in two columns, The evaluation tool according to claim 10, wherein the photograph at the end of the first row is also displayed at the opposite end of the second row.

12. A method for evaluating pigmentation spots, comprising: comparing and matching an area on the skin where a pigmentation spot is present with a photograph included in the evaluation tool according to any one of claims 1 to 9, thereby identifying a photograph that most closely resembles the area on the skin where the pigmentation spot is present; and identifying the index associated with the identified photograph as an evaluation value for the area on the skin where the pigmentation spot is present.

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