Visualization of age-related vascular alterations in facial skin using optical coherence tomography-based angiography

The assessment of dermal vasculature is crucial for understanding skin homeostasis, inflammation and disease. Various methods have been used to investigate structural alterations of the dermal vasculature [1,2]. Histological approaches have revealed vascular alterations in aged skin, for example decreasing vessel density, and irregular and disorganized vessels. However, the complex three-dimensional arrangement of vascular plexuses cannot be seen and investigated by the examination of conventional histological tissue sections.