Heat transport across multi-layered skin tissue experiencing short-pulse laser irradiation: Case of temperature-dependent thermal physical parameters

Abstract

Exactly tracing the heat transport within a multi-layered biological tissues exposed to a pulse laser irradiation is the key issue for successful application of modern therapies. The purpose of this paper is to explore the heat transport within an irradiated biological tissue with multi-layered sub-structure and temperature-dependent physical properties. A non-linear model of bio-heat transfer involved variable physical properties with respected to the space and temperature has been firstly proposed on the basis of dual-phase-lag model (DPL) of bio-heat transfer. A numerical procedure constructed on an explicit difference algorithm is then developed to trace the temperature history of each layer with temperature-dependent physical properties and associated thermal damage induced by a pulse laser. The parametric study of laser parameters, structure parameters of tissue and blood vessel, and variable thermal parameters on thermal response has been performed. The results state that the heat transport has been inhibited when considering temperature-dependent physical properties and a lower temperature would be predicted, which also would weaken the underlying thermal damage.