Poromechanical modelling of the time-dependent response of in vivo human skin during extension

Abstract: This paper proposes a proof of concept application of a biphasic constitutive model to identify the mechanical properties of in vivo human skin under extension. Although poromechanics theory has been extensively used to model other soft biological tissues, only a few studies have been published for skin, and most have been limited to ex vivo or in silico conditions. However, in vivo procedures are crucial to determine the subject-specific properties at different body sites. This study focuses on cyclic uni-axial extension of the upper arm skin, using unpublished data collected by Chambert et al. Our analysis shows that a two-layer finite element model allows representing all relevant features of the observed mechanical response to the imposed external loading, which was composed, in this contribution, of four loading-sustaining-unloading cycles. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) between the calibrated model and the measured Force-time response was 8.84e-3 N. Our biphasic model represents a preliminary step toward investigating the mechanical conditions responsible for the onset of injury. It allows for the analysis of changes in Interstitial Fluid (IF) pressure, flow, and osmotic pressure, in addition to the mechanical fields. Future work will focus on the interaction of multiple biochemical factors and the complex network of regulatory signals.