Microsensor for the measurement of water content in the human skin

We have developed a thin film microsensor based on interdigital electrodes deposited on a glass substrate. If the film side of the sensor chip is pressed onto human skin, the change of capacitance can be used as a measure for the water content of the skin. As the front side of the sensor must remain flat, the interconnection wires have been fixed at the backside of the chip. In this paper we report on measurements with a frequency of 100 kHz to 2 MHz and a voltage of 100 mV. We compare measuring results on normal skin, atopic (dry) skin and skin moisturized by a humectant.