Alteration of skin light-scattering and absorption properties by application of sunscreen nanoparticles:A Monte Carlo study

We report about the results of our investigations on the alteration of optical properties of the superficial layer of human skin at four UV range wavelengths, 310, 318, 360 and 400nm, by application of 35-200nm-sized particles of titanium dioxide (TiO2), silicon (Si) and zinc oxide (ZnO). The theoretical study based on combination of the Mie theory and Monte Carlo simulations reveals the optimal sizes of the nanoparticles minimizing the light transmittance for the considered wavelengths.