KR100610252B1 - Iontophoresis device - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an iontophoresis device for skin injection of an active substance includes: a backing layer whose shape may be changed according to the shape of the skin; A battery unit including a battery housing having a battery and a space for accommodating the battery; And first and second electrodes respectively attached to the backing layer and electrically connected to the positive and negative electrodes of the battery, respectively. Each of the first electrode and the second electrode may include a current conductive layer electrically connected to one of an anode and a cathode of the battery; And an active material-containing layer containing the active material. The battery housing is formed to be detachable from the backing layer.

Iontophoresis, active substance, current, skin

Description

IONTOPHORESIS DEVICE}

1 is a view showing an iontophoresis device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing components of a battery unit of the iontophoresis device of FIG.

3 is a view showing a battery unit of the iontophoresis device of FIG.

4 is a view showing a backing layer of the iontophoresis device of FIG.

5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross section taken along a line A-A of FIG. 4.

The present invention relates to an iontophoresis device and a skin treatment method using the same.

Iontophoresis refers to a method in which a microcurrent flows through the skin to allow the charged drug or active ingredient to penetrate the skin by electrical repulsion.

In order to increase the absorption of substances in the skin, absorption accelerators or prodrugs are used to change the physicochemical properties of drugs or skin to promote the penetration of drugs. It is a method of forcibly changing the environment to increase drug penetration much more actively than the conventional method, and much less invasive drug administration than injection.

In particular, a method of improving the blemishes by absorbing vitamin C, a skin whitening effect substance, into the skin using iontophoresis is currently used in dermatology hospitals and is known to have a significant effect in treating blemishes.

An iontophoresis device, which is an apparatus using iontophoresis, has been introduced. U.S. Patent 4,474,570 discloses an iontophoresis device in which a current supply device and an electrode are integrally formed.

However, the iontophoresis device disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,474,570 includes a battery, so the device must be discarded after use, which is expensive and causes environmental pollution. Furthermore, skin irritation such as erythema occurs frequently during iontophoresis. There was a problem.

In addition, the conventional iontophoresis device has a problem that it is impossible to control the strength of the current, so that the strength of the current is so strong that side effects occur or the strength of the current is low to obtain no efficacy at all.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems described above, and an object thereof is to provide an iontophoresis device and a skin treatment method using the same, which can increase the amount of active substance introduced into the user's skin. .

An iontophoresis device for skin injection of an active substance according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object,

A backing layer whose shape can be varied according to the shape of the skin;

A battery unit including a battery housing having a battery and a space for accommodating the battery; And

And first and second electrodes respectively attached to the backing layer and electrically connected to the positive and negative electrodes of the battery.

Each of the first electrode and the second electrode,

A current conductive layer electrically connected to any one of a positive electrode and a negative electrode of the battery; And

It includes; active material containing layer containing the active material,

The battery housing is formed to be detachable from the backing layer.

The battery unit preferably further includes an electric circuit for controlling the current supplied from the battery to the skin of the user through the first electrode and the second electrode.

The electric circuit may be configured to adjust the intensity of a current supplied from the battery to the skin of the user, or may be configured to supply a constant current of a size set to the skin of the user from the battery, or from the battery. It is preferable that the current is configured to be supplied in the form of a pulse to the skin of the user, or the current supplied from the battery to the user's skin can be automatically turned on / off at a set time interval. .

In addition, the electric circuit may be configured such that the direction of the current supplied from the battery to the skin of the user can be changed at a set time interval. At this time, it is more preferable that the first electrode and the second electrode are symmetric with each other.

The iontophoresis device according to the embodiment of the present invention preferably further includes an active material emitting layer attached to the first electrode and the second electrode and dispersing and discharging the active material delivered from the active material-containing layer. Do.

The active material emitting layer is more preferably formed to a size that can cover the entire face of the user.

Skin treatment method according to an embodiment of the present invention, a skin treatment method using an iontophoresis device that promotes the skin input of the active substance by using a current,

Applying AHA (alpha-hydroxy acid) to the user's skin; And

After the AHA application step, the current supply step of supplying a current through the active material and the skin of the user using the iontophoresis device;

It includes.

The current supplying step may change the magnitude of the supplied current, supply a current in the form of a pulse, automatically turn on / off the supplied current at a predetermined time interval, or supply the It is desirable to change the direction of the current to be at a set time interval.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

An iontophoresis device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a device for effectively injecting an active substance into the skin.

As shown in FIG. 1, the iontophoresis device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a backing layer 101 and an electrochemical cell 103.

The backing layer 101 is preferably formed of an insulating material. In addition, the backing layer 101 is preferably formed of a material that can be bent so that the shape can be changed according to the shape of the skin.

The backing layer 101 according to the present embodiment may have a rectangular shape, but the backing layer 101 may have an arbitrary shape such as a circular shape or a human face.

As shown in FIG. 2, the battery unit 103 includes a cell (electrochemical cell) 105 and a cell housing 107 in which a space for accommodating the cell 105 is formed. The battery unit 103 may further include an electric circuit 109 for controlling a current supplied from the battery 105 to the skin of the user. In addition, the electric circuit control interface 111 preferably includes an electric circuit control interface 111 for controlling the electric circuit 109 in the battery housing 107.

The battery 105 may be any battery capable of generating electrical energy using chemical energy. However, in view of the fact that the iontophoresis device according to the present invention is mainly used for human skin treatment, the battery is a small coin battery (sheet battery), sheet battery (sheet batter), paper battery (paper battery) ) Is preferable.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the battery housing 107 is formed to be detachable to the backing layer 101. The battery housing 107 is detachably attached to the backing layer 101 so that the battery housing 107 including the battery 105 is replaced when the battery 105 has reached the end of its life, thereby being attached to the backing layer 101 and attached thereto. Other parts (described below) become reusable.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, coupling holes 115 and 117 are formed in the lower surface 113 of the battery housing 107, and the coupling protrusion 121 is formed in the upper surface 119 of the backing layer 101. , 123 is formed.

The coupling protrusions 121 and 123 of the backing layer 101 are inserted into the coupling holes 115 and 117 formed in the battery housing 107, so that the battery housing 107 is detachably attached to the backing layer 101. do.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, a first electrode 125 and a second electrode 127 are attached to the bottom surface of the backing layer 101.

The first electrode 125 and the second electrode 127 are spaced apart by a set distance, and an electrical insulator 129 is disposed between the first electrode 125 and the second electrode 127.

The first electrode 125 may include a first current conductive layer 131 electrically connected to one of an anode and a cathode of the battery 105, and a first active material-containing layer containing an active material. 133.

Similarly, the second electrode 127 may include a second current conductive layer 135 electrically connected to one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the battery 105, and the second material containing the active material. The active material containing layer 137 is included.

In this case, the first active material-containing layer 133 and the second active material-containing layer 137 of the first electrode 125 and the second electrode 127 are preferably formed of a material having adhesion. For example, the first and second active material-containing layers 133 and 137 may be adhesive pads formed of an adhesive material containing the active material. Representative examples of the tacky material include hydrogels. In addition, the first and second active material-containing layers 133 and 137 may be formed of a non-tacky material. For example, the first and second active material-containing layers 133 and 137 may be wetted with a porous material such as a nonwoven fabric.

The first conductive layer 131 is electrically connected to any one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the battery 105 through the coupling protrusion of reference numeral 121, and the second conductive layer 135 is connected to the coupling protrusion of reference numeral 123. It is electrically connected to the other of the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the battery 105 through.

That is, when portions of the coupling protrusions 121 and 123 exposed to the outside of the upper surface 119 of the backing layer 101 become the coupling holes 115 and 117 formed in the lower surface 113 of the battery housing 107, the coupling is performed. The protrusions 121 and 123 are connected to any one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the battery 105, respectively. As shown in FIG. 5, lower portions of the coupling protrusions 121 and 123 contact the first and second conductive layers 131 and 133, respectively. Thus, the first conductive layer 131 and the second conductive layer 133 are connected to any one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the battery 105, respectively.

Therefore, the coupling protrusions 121 and 123 may be formed of a material having good electrical conductivity. For example, the coupling protrusions 121 and 123 may be formed of a metal material having good electrical conductivity.

At least one of the first active material-containing layer 133 and the second active material-containing layer 137 contains an active material to be introduced into the skin.

And, as shown in Figure 5, the iontophoresis device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is the active material emitting layer 139 attached to the lower surface of the first electrode 125 and the second electrode 127 More).

The active material emitting layer 139 serves to disperse and discharge the active material delivered from any one or more of the first and second active material containing layers 133 and 137.

At this time, the active material emitting layer 139 is preferably formed to a size that can cover the entire face of the user.

As described above, the electric circuit 109 of the battery unit 103 controls the current supplied from the battery 105 to the user's skin.

The electric circuit 109 is preferably configured to adjust the intensity of the current supplied from the battery 105 to the user's skin.

In addition, the electric circuit 109 is preferably configured to be supplied with a constant current of the size set from the battery 105 to the skin of the user.

In addition, the electric circuit 109 is preferably configured to supply a pulse-like current from the battery 105 to the skin of the user. At this time, it is preferable to give a pulse of about 100 ~ 3000㎐ to the current supplied from the battery 105 to the skin. For example, the current may be supplied in the form of a pulse in the form of a triangle wave, a sine wave, a square wave, or the like.

In addition, the electric circuit 109 is preferably configured such that the electric current supplied from the battery 105 to the skin of the user can be automatically turned on / off at a set time interval.

In addition, the electric circuit 109 is preferably configured such that the direction of the current supplied from the battery 105 to the skin of the user can be changed at a set time interval. In this case, the first electrode 125 and the second electrode 127 are preferably symmetrical.

Since the configuration of the electric circuit 109 to perform the current control function as described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art, more detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, by controlling the current supplied from the battery 105 to the skin of the user, the iontophoresis effect is greatly improved.

Hereinafter, a dermal treatment method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Skin treatment method according to an embodiment of the present invention uses the iontophoresis device according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above.

Skin treatment method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the step of applying AHA (alpha-hydroxy acid) to the skin of the user AHA, and using the iontophoresis device to supply the current through the active material and the user's skin And a current supply step. The current supply step is preferably performed after the AHA application step.

AHA is a natural extract derived from fruits and the like and is known as an acid having exfoliation and cell regeneration effects. For example, AHAs include tartaric acid, citric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid, and the like.

The current supply step changes the magnitude of the supplied current, supplies current in the form of a pulse, automatically turns on / off the supplied current at a set time interval, or changes the direction of the supplied current. It is desirable to change at set time intervals. By controlling the current in this way, the iontophoresis effect is further increased.

Hereinafter, the effect of the iontophoresis device according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above through the experimental example.

Experimental Example 1

In order to evaluate the effect of promoting the transdermal absorption of the vitamin C derivative (active substance), skin permeation test was performed using the skin of hairless mice. After 24 hours using a transdermal absorber (Franz cell) and a constant current generator, the absorbed solution and the absorbed material in the rat's dorsal skin were sampled and quantified by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). In the experimental group, 0.35 mA / cm 2 of current was flown, and in the control group, no current was flowed. Total transdermal absorption in the experimental and control groups is shown in Table 1.

Table 1

Experimental group Control Total transdermal absorption (㎍ / ㎠) 334.8 7.73

As shown in Table 1, it can be seen that when applying iontoporesis (i.e., flowing current), transdermal absorption of the active material is increased by about 35 times.

Experimental Example 2

AA-2G, a vitamin C derivative, was applied on the pads, and the pads were attached to the spots for 1 hour to test the effect of improving the spots. Forty healthy subjects aged 35 to 59 years old were treated with AA-2G 5% solution on the pads for 1 hour, and then applied with an iontophoresis patch for 4 hours. . A coin battery having a voltage of 3V was used as a battery. Ultraviolet photographs were taken of the effect of improving the blemishes, and the following results were obtained. One of the faces was used as an experimental group using an iontophoresis patch supplied with a battery, and the other was used as a control using the same patch without a battery.

First, in this experiment, the subject perceived the improvement effect of the subject himself, his family or acquaintances after one week. In addition, the objective evaluation of the improvement of blemishes by skin blemishes showed that the MASI scores were statistically significantly different when comparing the experimental and control groups (4 weeks: p <0.05, 12 weeks). : p <0.005).

Second, the control group showed statistically significant results from the 2nd week in the dermatologist's visual inspection, and after 4 weeks the wrinkle reduction effect was more significant (2 weeks: p <0.01, 4 weeks: p <). 0,005).

Third, in the self-evaluation by the subject questionnaire, the test group responded more to the control group than the control group. The longer the application period, the more the test group perceived the effect.

Fourth, the evaluation of skin side effects by a specialist during the human trial period did not cause serious skin side effects in both the control group and the experimental group. However, there was a slight itch during application of Iontoporesis patch and erythema occurred, but all of these symptoms disappeared within 24 hours. This has been reported in other papers.

Therefore, there are no serious skin side effects due to the iontophoresis device using the vitamin C as an active substance, and there was a blemish-improving effect and a whitening effect.

Experimental Example 3

The experiment was carried out using a device in which a variable resistor was installed in the housing portion of the battery (coin battery) to adjust the current strength.

In Experimental Example 2, the controller was equipped with a controller that can adjust the magnitude of the current by paying attention to the fact that the skin condition is different according to the test subjects, and that the variation in the unpleasant feeling for the current is great for each test subject.

When the current was set to the weakest and the strong current was applied to the test subject and the test subject felt tinged, it was found that the unpleasant feeling was improved by reducing the magnitude of the current. The results are shown in Table 2 below.

[Table 2]

When only housing is used When using current regulator Erythema 25 persons 20 people Tickle 30 persons 17 people Stinging 14 people 8 people Feeling of sparks splashing 2 people none Etc 15 people 4 people Almost no irritation 4 people 10 people

Experimental Example 4

The experiment was carried out using an electric circuit capable of supplying a pulse current.

In Experimental Example 3, the resistance of the current could be adjusted by attaching a variable resistor, but there was still skin irritation and discomfort in the direct current, so the frequency was reduced by giving a frequency to the direct current to solve this problem. The voltage was 3V and the frequency was 1000 Hz. In this case, it can be seen that the aforementioned skin irritation and discomfort are considerably removed. The results are shown in Table 3 below.

Table 3

Use only housing Current regulation Frequency / Current Regulation Erythema 25 persons 20 people 3 people Tickle 30 persons 17 people 2 people Stinging 14 people 8 people none Feeling of sparks splashing 2 people none none Etc 15 people 4 people none Almost no irritation 4 people 41 people 85 people

Experimental Example 5

The experiment was carried out using an electric circuit having a constant current supply function.

In Experimental Example 4, the current intensity was adjusted and the frequency was improved to improve skin irritation and discomfort. However, a large amount of constant current was flowed regardless of the human body resistance of the test subject in order to reduce the variation between subjects. Experimental results show that the iontophoresis effect is increased.

Experimental Example 6

Before applying the iontophoresis device, an experiment was performed using an iontophoresis device after peeling the skin using AHA.

When the iontophoresis device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied after treating the skin with an AHA-containing lotion on the spots of the skin, the blemish improvement and the whitening effect are statistically compared to the case where only the iontophoresis device is applied. Significantly improved.

In the above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and easily changed by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. It includes all changes and / or modifications to the extent deemed acceptable.

According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the battery housing is detachably formed on the backing layer, so that only the battery unit can be easily replaced when the battery is at the end of its life, and thus the backing layer and the electrode attached thereto can be easily recycled.

In addition, by controlling the strength, direction, etc. of the current, the amount of active substance injected into the skin increases.

Claims (15)

As an iontophoresis device for skin injection of active substance, A backing layer whose shape can be varied according to the shape of the skin; A battery unit including a battery housing having a battery and a space for accommodating the battery; And And first and second electrodes respectively attached to the backing layer and electrically connected to the positive and negative electrodes of the battery. Each of the first electrode and the second electrode, A current conductive layer electrically connected to any one of a positive electrode and a negative electrode of the battery; And An active material containing layer containing the active material, A pair of coupling protrusions formed in the backing layer is inserted into a pair of coupling holes formed in the battery unit, and the pair of coupling protrusions are electrically connected to the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively, and the battery housing An iontophoresis device formed to be detachable to the backing layer. In claim 1, The battery unit further comprises an electric circuit for controlling the current supplied from the battery to the skin of the user through the first electrode and the second electrode. In claim 2, The electric circuit is iontophoresis device, characterized in that configured to adjust the intensity of the current supplied from the battery to the user's skin. In claim 2, The electric circuit is iontophoresis device, characterized in that configured to be supplied with a constant current of a predetermined size from the battery to the user's skin. In claim 2, The electrical circuit is an iontophoresis device, characterized in that configured to be supplied with a pulse-like current from the battery to the skin of the user. In claim 2, The electric circuit is an iontophoresis device, characterized in that the electric current supplied from the battery to the user's skin is configured to be automatically turned on (on / off) at a set time interval. In claim 2, The electric circuit is iontophoresis device, characterized in that the direction of the current supplied from the battery to the user's skin is configured to be changed at a set time interval. In claim 7, And the first electrode and the second electrode are symmetrical to each other. In claim 1, And an active material emitting layer attached to the first electrode and the second electrode to disperse and discharge the active material delivered from the active material-containing layer. In claim 9, The active material emitting layer is iontophoresis device, characterized in that the size is formed to cover the entire face of the user. A skin treatment method using the iontophoresis device according to claim 1, Applying AHA (alpha-hydroxy acid) to the user's skin; And After the AHA application step, the current supply step of supplying a current through the active material and the skin of the user using the iontophoresis device; Skin treatment method comprising a. In claim 11, The current supply step is a skin treatment method, characterized in that for changing the magnitude of the supplied current. In claim 11, The current supply step is a skin treatment method characterized in that for supplying a pulse-shaped current. In claim 11, The current supplying step of the skin treatment method characterized in that the on / off (on / off) automatically to the supplied current at a predetermined time interval. In claim 11, The current supplying step of the skin treatment method characterized in that for changing the direction of the supplied current at a predetermined time interval.

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