GB2146532A

GB2146532A - High frequency hair removing apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2146532A
Application number: GB08404903A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Shiro Yamada; Toshio Kobayashi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-09-08
Filing date: 1984-02-24
Publication date: 1985-04-24
Also published as: DE3410042C2; GB8404903D0; GB2146532B; DE3410042A1; FR2551649A1; FR2551649B1; JPS6047506U; JPS6136257Y2

Abstract

High frequency hair removing apparatus comprises a needle (1) fitted into an L-shaped stem (2) so that the needle is at right angles to a hand grip (3). The base part (13) of the needle is coated with electrically insulating material (11) and the diameter of that base part (13) is reduced by an amount equivalent to the thickness of the insulation coating (11) so that the surfaces of the coated and uncoated sections of the needle are continuous. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION High frequency hair removing apparatus This invention relates to apparatus for removing hair and particularly to hair-removing apparatus using a high frequency oscillator.

In devices of prior art using high frequency oscillators, the hair shaft of the hair to be removed is held in a clip, high frequency current is applied to the hair shaft and the heat generated destroys the tissue under the skin to remove hair. However in the devices of prior art, as high frequency current is applied to the hair shaft protruding from the skin, sufficient high frequency current does not flow to the tissue under the skin and therefore complete destruction of the tissue responsible for hair regrowth is not realised. Accordingly, with prior art devices the rate of permanent hair removal is relatively low and practical results are not satisfactory.

In order to completely destroy that tissue a needle connected to a high frequency generator has been proposed. With such a device, a needle is inserted up to the vicinity of a hair bulb and high frequency current is applied momentarily to destroy the surrounding tissue. However, as the needle is fitted in a straight line with the pole grip, the needle cannot be inserted along the hair to ac curately position it in the region of hair bulb. As shown in Figure 7, the needle B is inserted to a position spaced from hair bulb 42. When the needle is heated under the above described condition, area C is heated and tissue responsible for regrowth of hair 41 is not destroyed completely.

Therefore, success rate was below 50%.

Another disadvantage of prior art devices is that when needle B is inserted a large amount of high frequency current flows to area D of skin 46 causing scarring resulting in black marks after hair removal.

A main object of this invention is to eliminate the above disadvantages by providing a high frequency hair removing apparatus which allows the needle to be inserted accurately in the region of a hair bulb of the hair to be removed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a high frequency hair removing device which will not cause any scarring due to heat burns on the skin after hair removal.

According to the invention there is provided a high frequency hair-removing apparatus comprising a needle mounted at one end of a grip and connected to a high frequency power source via a conductor and in which the needle is for insertion into the skin up to the hair bulb of a hair to be removed and high frequenqy current is applied momentarily to electro-coagulate the hair bulb, characterised in that the needle is fitted at a right angle to the grip by means of an L-shaped stem, the base part of the needle and the L-shaped stem are coated with electrically insulating material, and the diameter of the coated base section of said needle is reduced by an amount equivalent to the thickness of insulation coating so that the surfaces of coated and uncoated sections of the needle are continuous.

The connection of the needle connected to a grip through an L-shaped stem allows the needle to be accurately inserted in the region of a hair bulb.

As the needle is at right angles to the grip, any slight resistance to the needle as it is being inserted into the skin is felt at the fingers of the person inserting the needle allowing him to guide the needle accurately to the hair bulb.

The cone shaped needle point further improves needle positioning accuracy.

The extension of a hair shaft under the skin is held in a hair follicle which is an extension of the surface skin. A hair follicle is made of relatively minute and hard tissue. If the needle is inserted between the hair and the hair follicle it can be accurately positioned in the region of the hair bulb.

However, if the needle point is sharp as in conventional needles, the needle point penetrates the hair follicle and gradually moves away sideways from the hair bulb. Accordingly the cone shaped needle which is employed in the present invention prevents penetration of the hair follicle and thus allows the needle point to be guided accurately to the region of the hair bulb.

The electrically insulating coating prevents the high frequency current from flowing to the skin surrounding the point at which the needle is inserted, and protects the skin from being heated.

Because the surface of the coated and uncoated sections of the needle is continuous, no resistance is created when the needle is inserted, allowing the needle to be inserted accurately along hair follicle, whereas if the needle surface were coated with insulating film, the diameter of the coated section would be increased by an amount equivalent to the thickness of the coated film, creating a step.

This step would increase the resistance to the needle as it is inserted, adversely affecting the feel and making it difficult to guide the needle accurately.

Some embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a cross sectional view partly in section of an embodiment of hair removing apparatus of the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross section on line A-A of Figure 1, Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a part of the apparatus of Figure 1, Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the point of a needle of the apparatus of Figure 1, Figure 5 illustrates a high frequency generator connected to the needle, Figure 6 shows the application of the needle of the apparatus of the present invention, and Figure 7 shows an application of a needle of prior art apparatus.

In the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4, the base 14 of a needle 1 locks into an opening 12 in one end of an L-shaped stem 2 made of conducting material. The base 16 of the L-shaped stem 2 locks into an opening 17 at the end of a rod 3 made of con ducting material. The base of rod 3 is inserted into an aperture 9 in a holder 5, and is secured by screwing a synthetic resin cap 4 on to the holder 5, which cap 4 covers the holder. A terminal 8 located on the base of the holder 5 is soldered to a lead 7.

Threads 10 at the end of a grip 6 made of synthetic resin are screwed onto threads formed on the outer end of the terminal 8.

The outside of the L-shaped stem 2 is coated with electrically insulating material 11, e.g. Teflon (Trade Mark). As shown in Figure 3, the thickness of base section 13 which corresponds to the joint between the needle 1 and L-shaped stem 2, is reduced by an amount (normally about 0.05mm) equivalent to the thickness of the insulation coating. Insulation material 11 is coated on this section.

As shown in Figure 4, the end of needle 1 consists of tapered section 20 followed by cone shaped needle point 15.

The needle, L-shaped stem, rod, and holder are made of rust-proof material such as stainless steel.

A very fine needle of external dimensions in the range from 0.15 to 0.30mm and length up to the Lshaped stem in the range from 3 to 4.5mm is used.

The length of the base section of the needle is 1 to 2mm.

Figure 5 shows the needle 1 connected to a high frequency generator 32 which comprises an oscillator 33, an amplifier 34 and an output circuit 35.

Normally a high frequency generator with rated high frequency output of 150W and frequency of 5 to lOOMHz is used.

The patient holds a terminal plate 37 connected to terminal 38. The needle 1, connected to terminal 39, is inserted in the skin 46 in the vicinity of the hair to be removed. Foot-switch 36 is pressed and a 0.3 to 0.6mmA current flows momentarily destroying the tissue including the hair bulb.

Before starting the operation, as shown in Figure 6, the needle 1 is inserted between a hair 47 and a hair follicle 45 until the needle 1 reaches the hair bulb 42. To facilitate insertion up to the hair bulb 42, the needle length up to the end of the L-shaped stem is adjusted to the depth of the hair bulb 42.

Foot-switch 36 is pressed to close the circuit, and high frequency current flows momentarily (for about 1 to 4 seconds). The tissue under the skin is heated and destroyed and the hair bulb is electrocoagulated. As is apparent from the figure, when the needle 1 is inserted along a hair 41 to be removed, the hair bulb 42 and the hair follicle 44 which are responsible for hair regrowth are destroyed completely. This eliminates the possibility of hair regrowth by almost 100%. As the needle is inserted close to hair bulb 42, hair removal can be realised with minimum of current.

Because the base 13 of needle 1 is coated with insulation material 11, which is different from the devices of the previous art, current does not flow to the surrounding skin and therefore no scarring occurs.

Claims

1. A high frequency hair-removing apparatus comprising a needle mounted at one end of a grip and connected to a high frequency power source via a conductor and in which the needle is for insertion into the skin up to the hair bulb of a hair to be removed and high frequency current is applied momentarily to electro-coagulate the hair bulb, characterised in that the needle is fitted at a right angle to the grip by means of an L-shaped stem, the base part of the needle and the L-shaped stem are coated with electrically insulating material, and the diameter of the coated base section of said needle is reduced by an amount equivalent to the thickness of insulation coating so that the surfaces of coated and uncoated sections of the needle are continuous.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the needle has a cone shaped needle point.

3. A high frequency hair removing apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 or Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.