Patent ID: 7369692

Claim:
A skin observing apparatus, comprising: an image pick-up head having a view hole formed at a top end thereof; an image pick-up device that picks-up images of a skin through the view hole when the top end of the image pick-up head is in contact with the skin; and an illumination system that irradiates illumination light on the skin, the image pick-up device and the illumination system being provided inside the image pick-up head, wherein the illumination system comprises a texture observing illumination system that irradiates white light to the view hole along an axis of an image pick-up light, a keratin abrasion observing illumination system that irradiates a white light to the view hole from a lateral direction thereof, and a subcutaneous pigment observing illumination system that irradiates a UV-light to the view hole, the texture observing illumination system comprises white light emitting elements arranged circularly at a periphery of the image pick-up light axis adjacent therewith, the keratin abrasion observing illumination system comprises white light emitting elements arranged circularly outside of the white light emitting elements of the texture observing illumination system, and a reflection mirror that reflects illumination light of the white light emitting elements of the keratin abrasion observing illumination system and irradiates the same to the view hole from the lateral direction thereof, and the subcutaneous pigment observing illumination system comprises UV-light emitting elements arranged circularly outside of the white light emitting elements of the texture observing illumination system.