Method for staining corneocites, method for preparing corneocites specimen and skin analysis system

Abstract

A method for preparing corneocites specimen, which comprises stripping off corneocites from the surface of a skin using an adhesive material, staining the corneocites in a solution of stain in solvent containing a water-miscible organic solvent, and mounting the stained corneocites into an oil and fat constituent and/or composition that is liquid at 1 atm, 25° C.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for staining corneocites, comprising: 
 preparing a sample containing corneocites stripped off from a surface of a skin using an adhesive material; and    staining the sample in a solution of stain in solvent containing a water-miscible organic solvent.    
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the stain comprises gentian violet and brilliant green.  
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , where in the water-miscible organic solvent comprises ethanol.  
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the adhesive material comprises an adhesive tape.  
     
     
         5 . A method for preparing corneocites specimen, comprising: 
 preparing a sample containing corneocites stripped off from a surface of a skin using an adhesive material;    staining the sample; and    mounting the stained sample into an oil and fat constituent and/or composition which is liquid at 1 atm, 25° C.    
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the oil and fat constituent and/or composition which is liquid at 1 atm, 25° C. to be used for mountion comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of silicone oil, fatty acid triglyceride, ester of higher alcohol and fatty acid, and carbohydrate.  
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the sample containing corneocites is stained in a solution of stain in solvent containing a water-miscible organic solvent.  
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the corneocites specimen may be used to determine or measure one or more selected from a group consisting of a size of horny cell, presence or absence of nuclear cell, a frequency of nuclear cell appearance, arrangement regularity of corneocites, a shape of a horny cell, and roughness of a surface of keratinized layer.  
     
     
         9 . A skin analysis system, comprising: 
 a staining apparatus for staining a sample containing corneocites stripped off from a surface of a skin of a subject using an adhesive material in a solution of stain in solvent containing a water-miscible organic solvent;    a microscope for obtaining an enlarged image of a corneocites specimen prepared from the sample stained in said staining apparatus;    corneocites image data generating means for generating corneocites image data that is image data of the enlarged image of the corneocites specimen obtained by said microscope;    measurement means for measuring a size of the horny cell using said corneocites image data;    transmitting means for transmitting to a server via a network the corneocites image data and information representing the size of the horny cell obtained by said measurement means;    receiving means for receiving from the server via the network evaluation information representing results obtained by evaluating at least one of roughness of a surface of a keratinized layer and completeness of the keratinized layer based on the corneocites image data and the information representing the size of the horny cell; and    display control means for displaying the evaluation information on display means.    
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 9 , wherein said microscope creates a magnified image of the corneocites specimen which includes the stained sample mounted into an oil and fat constituent and/or component that is liquid at 1 atm, 25° C., and said generating means generates the corneocites image data of the magnified image.  
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 9 , further comprising texture image data generating means for generating texture image data that is image data of an enlarged image of a surface of the subject's skin obtained by image pickup means to be used for analyzing a texture of the subject's skin, wherein: 
 said transmitting means transmits the texture image data to said server,    said receiving means receives the evaluation information including evaluation results about a condition of the texture based on the texture image data from said server; and    said display control means displays the evaluation information on said display means.    
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 9 , further comprising dark spot image data generating means for generating B channel image data obtained by extracting B channel alone from an enlarged color image of the surface of the subject's skin obtained by image pickup means to be used for analyzing any dark spot on the subject's skin, wherein: 
 said transmitting means transmits the B channel image data to said server,    said receiving means receives the evaluation information including evaluation results obtained by evaluating dark spot in the B channel image data from said server; and    said display control means displays the evaluation information on said display means.    
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said display control means displays analysis results of the subject's skin obtained on the basis of the evaluation information and analysis results obtained about persons of the same generation of the subject on the display means so that the former can be compared with the latter.  
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 13 , wherein said display control means displays analysis results of the subject's skin obtained on the basis of the evaluation information and analysis results obtained about persons of the same generation having an age equal to the subject's age or 1 or 2 years older and younger than the subject's age on said display means so that the former can be compared with the latter.  
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 13 , wherein said display control means displays the analysis results of the subject relative to analysis results of the persons of the same generation of the subject.  
     
     
         16 . A display data generating apparatus for skin analysis, which comprises: 
 receiving means for receiving via a network data to be used for skin analysis of a subject;    data generating means for generating, when evaluation results of the skin analysis of the subject are obtained on the basis of the skin analysis data, a display data in order to display the evaluation results in such a form that the evaluation results can be compared with evaluation results of persons of the same generation having an age equal to the subject's age or 1 or 2 years older and younger than the subject's age; and    transmitting means for transmitting via the network the display data to an apparatus having a display means for reproducing an image or video based on the display data.    
     
     
         17 . The apparatus according to  claim 16 , wherein said data generating means generates a display data to be used to display evaluation results of the skin analysis of the subject relative to the evaluation results of the persons of the same generation.