2.4 Optical clearing protocol
Ethanol-cleaned skin sites were subject to intact skin LC-OCT image acquisitions (t = 0 min). Then, after 1 minute of dermabrasion and image acquisition (t = 1 min, Figure 1 (a)), one of OCA mixtures (~100 µl) was topically applied and skin was exposed to therapeutic ultrasound twice for 5 minutes duration each (Figure 1(b)). Between and after ultrasound applications (t = 6 and 11 min, respectively), as well as for 30 minutes with 5 minute interval after manipulations were over (Figure 1(c)), LC-OCT imaging was performed (t = 16, 21, 26, 31, 36 and 41 min). Small amount of corresponding OCA was placed between the skin and the probe glass plate during image acquisitions to minimize parasitic reflections at the interface.
Control measurements were conducted at similar time points (t = 0 to 41 min) on the same skin site only subjected to paraffin oil as the LC-OCT probe immersion liquid (neither dermabrasion nor ultrasound were applied).