Patent ID: 8075483

Claim:
A method for analyzing and/or measuring at least one parameter, in particular biological, mechanical, chemical, or physicochemical parameter, of skin, nails, or hair of an external portion of a body, the method comprising: placing in the vicinity of said external portion the surface of a device, so as to sample at least one substance in the vicinity of a surface of said external portion, wherein the device is for use in measuring and/or analyzing at least one parameter of an external portion of a body, the device comprising at least one surface configured to be placed in the vicinity of said external portion, wherein said device is either a) configured to be able to be modeled over said external portion and made of a material comprising inorganic material, or b) configured to not be able to be modeled over said external portion and comprising no material other than one or more inorganic materials, wherein when the device is configured to not be able to be modeled, and when material defining the surface is not in at least one of a fibrous form and a particulate form, the surface comprises an inorganic material other than glass; moving the device from the vicinity of said external portion; and conducting at least one of an analysis and a measurement of the sample, wherein the conducting comprises subjecting the device to a temperature of at least 200° C. and/or a pressure of at least 20 bar.