Analysis of adhesive behaviour of human skin in vivo by an indentation test

Indentation testing is a widely used technique to quantify the elastoplastic properties of materials. However, it also allows the analysis of the adhesive force between a substrate and an indenter. In this paper, in order to contribute to the understanding of the human skin behaviour, an elastic adhesive theory has been applied to a steel/skin in vivo contact. The human skin adhesive behaviour is investigated by varying different parameters; namely the normal load, the indentation speed, the contact time and the indenter geometry. Under controlled experimental conditions, this in vivo skin study results in the characterisation of the skin adhesive behaviour.