GB2305603A - Topical cooling gels for reducing excess body fat - Google Patents

Abstract

Topical gels containing a volatile and/or absorbable component cool the skin thereby initiating localised thermogenesis but preventing localised temperature equilibration. This localised thermogenesis leads to removal of the fat deposits via their metabolism. The treated skin may be covered with fabric such as a jump-suit. Exemplified compositions contains 0.9% carbomer, 0.2% preservative, 0.2% sodium EDTA, 2.53% menthol, 1.0% camphor, 20.00% ethanol, 0.001% FD & C Blue, 0.4% triethanolamine, 0.2% d-panthenol, 0.5% hyaluronic acid and made up to 100% with water.

Description

TOPICAL GEL FOR EXCESS FAT REDUCTION The invention relates to a topical gel composition for application on specific areas of the human body which assists in the reduction of excess body fats.

Excess body fat in certain parts of the human body is considered to be undesirable to people who are concerned about their general appearance and well being. Many attempts have been made in the past to make available non-surgical and noninvasive methods to reduce or permanently remove undesirable excess fat from areas such as the upper leg, upper arm, hips and so on. These methods available in the prior art may involve regular exercise, massage, applications of various cosmetic creams and so on.However, none of these methods or compositions have proved completely satisfactory, either because the reduction of excess fat was for only a very short period before the fat came back again, the methods are too uncomfortable, too much effort and organisation is required to do daily exercise routines, the fat-reducing cosmetics are too expensive, the application cannot be d;lrectedito specific areas of the body, or the procedures involve long term application of prior art materials.

The present invention attempts to alleviate the above mentioned problems associated with prior art materials and methods for the reduction of excess unwanted body fat. The invention utilises the unique properties of some chemical compounds which are volatile and easily evaporate between 100C and 500C. The effect of such evaporation can be felt on the skin surface as a cooling effect on the localised area. Under the normal homeostatic control of a body, the metabolism will increase to equilibrate the external temperature effect on the skin surface. This increase in metabolism will in due course result in converting available or stored body fats into heat energy to counteract the cooling effect. This phenomena of the body rising to the job of internally increasing heat production to counteract cold exteriors is called "Thermogenesis".Eventually the body will equilibrate and the metabolism will return to a basal level which no longer requires stored fat to be metabolised.

The inventive concept of the present invention is thus to utilise this phenomenon of thermogenesis, and to activate it locally, by preparing a composition which can be controllably applied to the excess fatty areas of the body, without allowing the body to overcome the "cold" effect in the treated area. In other words, the composition is so formed that the body surface temperature is allowed to drop locally at the treated area, by only a small amount for example between a half and four degrees. The composition is thus applied for defined time limits such that the body does not overcome the cold effect and therefore continues to burn the stored fat on a localised basis for the period of the treatment.

The composition may be fully or partially absorbed into the skin after application. Once absorbed the cooling effect may continue for several hours resulting in prolonged thermogenesis and therefore reduction in fat through increased metabolism.

In this way, excess unwanted fat in the desired areas of the body can be removed naturally and without many of the discomforts of the prior art methods. The invention provides a comfortable, inexpensive, non-surgical, non-invasive means for excess fat removal which has a longer lasting effect than other prior art methods.

A feature of the invention is to ensure that localized temperature reduction is maintained at a readily supportable level. If for example icebags were applied to overweight areas the patient would rapidly become too cold and the treatment would have to stop. The application of volatile components to the skin merely has a slower time effect.

According to the present invention there is provided therefore a topically applicable composition for excess fat removal, which comprises a gelling component adapted to retain the composition in situ, and a volatile and/or absorbable component adapted to be retained in contact with the skin over time to cool the same thereby initiating localised thermogenesis but preventing the equilibration step.

The volatile component of the composition may be selected from alcohols, ethers and/or other compounds with similar properties. The composition may be pH balanced by a buffering agent. The composition may additionally comprise any or a combination of analgesics, camphors, chelating agents, dyes, preservatives, antiseptics and vitamins or vitamin analogues.

A preferred embodiment of the composition may comprise any or a combination of the following components:- 0.5 to 2.0 % w/v gelling agent; 0.1 to 0.3 % (w/v) preservative; 0.05 to 0.5 % (w/v) chelating agent; 0.5 to 10 % (w/v) camphors; 5.0 to 40.0 % (w/v) alcohol; 0.0005 to 0.03 % (w/v) colouring agent; 0.1 to 1.0% (w/v) organic solvent; 0.1 to 0.5 % (w/v) vitamin or vitamin analogue; and make up to 100% volume with purified water.

Preferably, the gel additionally comprises 0.5% hyaluronic acid.

According to a further feature of the present invention there is also provided the use in the manufacture of a composition for confined application to areas of unwanted fat of a human body to facilitate reduction of the fat content in such areas, said gel comprising a gelling component adapted to retain the composition in situ, and a volatile and/or absorbable component adapted to be retained in contact with the skin over time to cool the same thereby initiating thermogenesis but preventing localized temperature equilibration.

Said gel is adapted to form a coating over the desired surface of between 0.1 mm to 5.0 mm and is maintained in situ for between 15 and 35 minutes thereby to avoid equilibration of body temperature at the treated area.

Conveniently, the composition is absorbed into the skin.

According to a further feature of the present invention there is provided a method for the localised removal of human fat which method comprises applying to a body area a thin film of the above composition and allowing controlled cooling effectively to reduce external skin temperature by up to 30C for up to 30 minutes.

Preferably, the treated area is suitably covered during treatment with a fabric, such as a woven fabric, which allows volatization of the volatile composition. The weave of the fabric should be sufficiently close to restrict volatization to a controlled rate. The fabric whether woven or not should not stick to the skin whether covered with gel or not to allow the patient to move about freely.

The invention will now be described by way of illustration only in the following examples: EXAMPLE 1 The following components may be used to provided the composition of the invention:0.9% (w/v) Carbomer 0.2% (w/v) Preservative 0.2% (w/v) Sodium EDTA 2.53% (w/v) Menthol 1.0% (w/v) Camphor 20.00% (w/v) Ethanol 96% (v/v) 0.001% (w/v) FD & C Blue 0.4% (w/v) Triethanolamine 0.2% (w/v) d-Panthenol 0.5% (w/v) Hyaluronic acid Make up to 100% volume with purified water.

The composition can be stored in this form in air tight glass or inert plastic containers at room temperature or at a household refrigerator temperature.

EXAMPLE 2 The composition as described above can be applied using the following steps in a method of application for assisting in the reduction of excess unwanted body fat in the desired areas of the body.

The skin surface is preferably clean and free from dirt and sweat before application of the composition. The composition may be applied directly from a stored condition or prepared freshly before application.

Measurements of the areas to be treated are taken before and after treatment to record the fat reducing effect of the application of the composition.

The composition is applied as a thin coating, for example between 0.1mm and 5.0mm, on to the skin surface of the desired body area such as the upper leg, hips or upper arm, at room temperature. The person undergoing the treatment then puts on a purpose made jump-suit or "Slim-suit" preferably made of plastic fibres. The jump-suit has a unique inside coating that additionally prevents the composition from leaking out of the suit and also prevents the suit from sticking to the person. Preferably, the suit is designed to allow comfortable and free movement by the person in it.

The coating is left on the surface for a defined time period for example between 20 and 30 minutes. The thickness of the gel coating and the time period may vary depending on the fat content of the area and metabolic rate of the individual. The coating allows the body surface temperature to drop by a small amount, typically between half a degree to two degrees centigrade. After 20 minutes, or other effective time period, the composition is absorbed into the skin leaving no residue or greasy feeling. The person can get dressed without having to wash off any residue.

Depending on the extent of treatment, the slow cooling effect of the composition results in the onset of thermogenesis without localized temperature equilibration. This effect can continue for up to four hours after the initial treatment with the composition, thus resulting in continuing fat reduction in the treated area, until eventually the body equilibrates to normal metabolism.

The procedure may be repeated several times over a number of weeks for example twice a day for 10 weeks, at which time there is a visibly noticeable toning effect of the treated area, due to reduction in fat.

Claims (13)

1. A topically applicable composition for excess fat removal, which comprises a gelling component adapted to retain the composition in situ, and a volatile and/or absorbable component adapted to be retained in contact with the skin over time to cool the same thereby initiating localised thermogenesis but preventing localized temperature equilibration.

2. A composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the volatile component is selected from alcohols and ethers.

3. A composition as claimed in either preceding claim wherein the components are maintained in a pH balanced, buffered environment.

4. A composition as claimed in any preceding claim additionally comprising at least one of analgesics, camphors, chelating agents, dyes, preservatives, antiseptics, emollients, vitamins or vitamin analogues.

5. A composition as claimed in any preceding claim which comprises at least one of the following:- 0.5 to 2.0 % w/v gelling agent; 0.1 to 0.3 % (w/v) preservative; 0.05 to 0.5 % (w/v) chelating agent; 0.5 to 10 % (w/v) camphors; 5.0 to 40.0 % (w/v) alcohols; 0.0005 to 0.03 % (w/v) colouring agent; 0.1 to 1.0% (w/v) organic solvent; 0.1 to 0.5 % (w/v) vitamin or vitamin analogue; and purified water to 100% volume.

6. A composition as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the gel additionally comprises 0.5% Hyaluronic acid.

7. A composition as claimed in any preceding claim substantially as herein before described with reference to, and/or as illustrated in any one of the foregoing examples.

8. The use in the manufacture of a topically applicable composition for excess fat removal of a gel for confined application to areas of unwanted fat of a human body to facilitate reduction of the fat content in such areas, said composition comprising a gelling component adapted to retain the composition in situ and a volatile and/or absorbable component adapted to be retained in contact with the skin over time to cool the same, thereby initiating thermogenesis but preventing localized temperature equilibration.

9. The use as claimed in claim 8 wherein the gel is adapted to form a coating over the desired surface of 0.1 mm to 5.0 mm and to be maintained in situ between 15 and 35 minutes thereby to avoid equilibration of body temperature at the treated area.

10. The use as claimed in claims 8 or 9 wherein the composition is absorbable into the skin.

11. The use of the composition according to claim 8 and substantially as herein before described in any example hereinbefore set forth.

12. A method for the localised removal of human fat which method comprises applying to a body area a thin film of a composition according to any of claims 1 to 7 and allowing controlled cooling effectively to reduce external skin temperature by up to 30C for up to 30 minutes.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the treated area is covered during treatment by a fabric which allows volatization.