PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a measurement apparatus which measures and quantifies aging skin condition.SOLUTION: The apparatus measures skin condition by measuring a reactive force generated by deformation of the skin. The apparatus includes a pair of probes 21 that comes in contact with skin surface, and a power section 22 that moves the probes along the skin surface direction. The pair of probes 21 is controlled by the power section 22 to repeat a plurality of times, a cycle which includes an approaching step for bringing the pair of probes closer to each other to contract the skin, a retention step for maintaining the contracted probe distance, and a restoring step for restoring the initial distance from the contracted probe distance. The apparatus acquires data on reactive forces generated by skin contraction. The apparatus then acquires, on the basis of the acquired data, a reactive force retention rate (M value) that shows the rate of the maximum reactive force maintained in the retention step compared to the maximum reactive force generated by the skin contraction, and determines the increase rate of the reactive force retention rate (M value) between successive two cycles.COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&INPIT【課題】皮膚の老化状態を数値化して測定する。【解決手段】皮膚変形により生じる反力を測定することにより皮膚の状態を測定する装置であって、皮膚の表面と接触する一対の接触子21と、該接触子を皮膚の表面に沿った方向に動作させる動力部22とを備えてなり、一対の接触子21を、動力部22の制御により、接触子間距離を縮めて皮膚を収縮させる接近動作ステップと、縮めた接触子間距離を維持する保持静止ステップと、縮めた接触子間距離を元に戻す復帰動作ステップとからなるサイクルにて複数回繰り返し動作させながら、皮膚収縮によって生じる反力に関するデータを取得し、取得したデータに基づき、皮膚収縮時の最大反力に対して保持静止ステップで最大反力がどれだけ保持されているかを表す反力保持率(M値)を求めて、連続する2サイクル間での反力保持率(M値)の増加率を求める。【選択図】図1
