Near-field microwave and mm-wave noninvasive diagnosis of human skin

Microwave and mm-wave reflectometry is one of the potential techniques for diagnosis of human skin for detection of diseases such as skin cancer. It is shown that using an open-ended waveguide probe, non-contact measurements of the reflection properties of skin may be conducted leading to distinction between dielectric properties of normal and diseased skin. This technique can then be extended into a differential technique which enables skin property differentiation independent of the location on the body. This paper discusses the basics of the method along with some preliminary results.