Skin elasticity (suction-probe viscoelasticity)

How it is measured

Viscoelastic recovery of a skin site drawn into a suction probe, reported as a dimensionless ratio — most often gross elasticity R2, sometimes net elasticity R5 or biological elasticity R7 — at a defined site after a standardised acclimatisation period. The parameter and the site are recorded with each finding, because R2 and R5 are different ratios of the same deformation curve and are not interchangeable.