Fingermarks have long been recognized as one of the most reliable and valuable evidence for personal identification. In practice, fingerprint analysis primarily concentrates on latent fingerprint visualization. However, fingerprint visualization techniques do not always enable individualization when fingermarks collected in crime scenes are fragmentary, ambiguous, or deformed. Age determination techniques based on physical and chemical composition changes in fingerprints over time have attracted researchers’ attention in recent years. Nevertheless, the components of fingerprints are liable to factors including donor features, deposition conditions, substrate properties, environmental conditions and revealing methods. All the influences mainly contribute to unreliable outcomes of age estimation. Recent developments in fingermark age determination have moved forward to more precise approaches. The advanced methods can be classified into two categories including techniques based on the modifications of physical characteristics and chemical composition characteristics. Herein, the review includes the five types of variables that influence the aging process. The methodologies are subsequently highlighted along with their advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, photography, optical, microscopy and electrochemical methods, and vibrational spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS) techniques are summarized in detail, with an emphasis on their utilization.

中文翻译：

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指纹年龄确定技术的进展

长期以来，人们一直认为指纹是用于个人识别的最可靠，最有价值的证据之一。实际上，指纹分析主要集中在潜在的指纹可视化上。但是，当犯罪现场中收集的指纹不完整，不明确或变形时，指纹可视化技术并不总能实现个性化。近年来，基于指纹的物理和化学组成变化的年龄确定技术引起了研究人员的关注。尽管如此，指纹的成分仍受制于一些因素，包括供体特征，沉积条件，基材特性，环境条件和显示方法。所有这些影响主要导致年龄估计的不可靠结果。指纹年龄确定的最新进展已发展到更精确的方法。先进的方法可以分为两类，包括基于物理特性和化学组成特性的修改的技术。在此，回顾包括影响老化过程的五种变量。随后强调了这些方法及其优点和缺点。此外，对摄影，光学，显微镜和电化学方法以及振动光谱和质谱（MS）技术进行了详细总结，重点是它们的利用。先进的方法可以分为两类，包括基于物理特性和化学组成特性的修改的技术。在此，回顾包括影响老化过程的五种变量。随后强调了这些方法及其优点和缺点。此外，对摄影，光学，显微镜和电化学方法以及振动光谱和质谱（MS）技术进行了详细总结，重点是它们的利用。先进的方法可以分为两类，包括基于物理特性和化学组成特性的修改的技术。在此，回顾包括影响老化过程的五种变量。随后强调了这些方法及其优点和缺点。此外，对摄影，光学，显微镜和电化学方法以及振动光谱和质谱（MS）技术进行了详细总结，重点是它们的利用。