Apparatuses and methods are disclosed for generating a quantitative indication of the degree of oiliness of skin. In exemplary embodiments, a difference image generated from parallel- and a cross-polarized images of an area of skin is subjected to an intensity thresholding operation. An oiliness metric is generated based on the average intensity of those pixels whose intensities do not exceed the threshold, and/or on the average intensity of those pixels whose intensities exceed the threshold. An indication based on the metric is generated and output.
