The Role of Skin in mm-Wave Exposure of Human Body

The advent of 5G/B5G wireless communications networks has stimulated research efforts in assessing health effects of human tissues exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). In this paper, we investigate the role of skin thickness in the exposure of human body to EMF at mm-Waves. Different skin models and dielectric characterizations, including layered skin, are studied using the equivalent multi-layer model framework. Simulation analyses show that as frequency increases the impact of changes in the dielectric and geometric characterization of the skin is less and less relevant due to the decreasing penetration depth. Additionally, the presence of stratum corneum determines an increased power absorption.