Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42076446›Full record

ReviewSensors (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Modelling Skin Pigmentation Using the Monte Carlo Technique: A Review.

Raghda Al-Halawani, Meha Qassem, Panicos A Kyriacou

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Raghda Al-HalawaniResearch Centre for Biomedical Engineering, City St George's, University of London, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6193-921X
Meha QassemResearch Centre for Biomedical Engineering, City St George's, University of London, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB, UK.
Panicos A KyriacouResearch Centre for Biomedical Engineering, City St George's, University of London, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The impact of skin pigmentation on the accuracy of optical biomedical devices has gained increased attention since the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly following evidence of oximetry measurement bias in dark-skinned individuals. Meanwhile, many computational models utilising the Monte Carlo (MC) technique have been developed as a cost-effective and scalable method for investigating these effects. Hence, this review explores the application of the MC technique in modelling skin pigmentation, focusing specifically on how melanin in the epidermis is represented across different studies. First, the biological mechanisms of pigmentation and current stratification methods are outlined to contextualise the variability in skin tone, followed by the principles of MC modelling, including photon scattering, absorption, reflection, and detection. Following a screening and exclusion process, 50 studies were evaluated in terms of how melanin concentration and distribution are incorporated into MC models and their applications, revealing a range of approaches that include analytical equations, experimental optical property measurements, or hybrid methods. The benefits and limitations of each approach is discussed, in addition to emerging advancements such as heterogeneous melanin distribution and the relation between optical properties and skin colour classification scales. Overall, the review outlines the current methodological approaches utilised for skin pigmentation modelling and offers a reference framework for researchers seeking to improve the representation of skin pigmentation in MC-based optical simulations.

Indexed as

Models, BiologicalSkin PigmentationComputer SimulationCOVID-19HumansMelaninsMonte Carlo MethodSARS-CoV-2MelaninsMonte Carlo modellingskin pigmentation

Identifiers

PMID42076446
PMCPMC13120197

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.