Figure 1 . Visible and IR images of a skin sample. In the top left panel the contrast of the visible image is determined by changes and differences in optical transmission and scattering properties of the sample. In the top right image, the distribution of the amide I integral band intensity while the bottom right panel shows the distribution of the amide B integral band intensity. The bottom left IR image represents the distribution of the carbonyl stretching vibration integral band intensity. (Garidel & Boese, 2007 )

Figure 1 compares a visible (top left) and an IR image of a 6 μm thick skin sample. While the contrast of a visible image is determined solely by changes and differences in the optical transmission and scattering properties of the sample, the contrast of an infrared image is obtained with false colors (the red and blue corresponding to the highest and lowest intensity, respectively) by selecting a given spectral information (integration of a band or intensity at one wavelength) and displaying the distribution of selected molecular proculars in as compton . The intensity distribution of the amide I band is shown in the top right image, while the intensity distribution of the amide B band is shown in the bottom right image. Both may be related to protein distribution throughout the sample. Lastly, (bottom left ) the panel depicts the intensity distribution of the carbonyl stretching vibration as it relates to the lipid distribution.