WO2004077990A1

WO2004077990A1 - A device for treating skin tissue

Info

Publication number: WO2004077990A1
Application number: PCT/AU2004/000268
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roger Leach
Original assignee: Aerotech Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2003-03-07
Filing date: 2004-03-03
Publication date: 2004-09-16

Abstract

A device for treating skin tissue comprising a support having a first surface with an adhesive means for adhering to skin tissue, wherein the first surface of the support is substantially rigid.

Description

A DEVICE FOR TREATING SKIN TISSUE Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the cosmetic industry. In a particular application the invention relates to the treatment of skin tissue. Background of the Invention

Creases and wrinkles in skin tissue particularly facial creases such as "crows feet" tend to propagate as skin ages and loses its elasticity and thickness. Particularly around the eyes, wrinkles form and tend to deepen in time. The cosmetic industry deals with these problems by the use of creams or emulsions which contain various additives in the form of collagen, vitamins etc. Such preparations however have limited if any effect on the removal of wrinkles and the like. Therefore more intrusive options are used which entail medical procedures associated with "a face lift" as well as injections of substances to effectively fill in the creases. The problem with medical procedures is that they tend to be expensive and the after effects can appear unnatural .

The present invention provides an alternative method of treating skin tissue. Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a device for treating skin tissue comprising a support having a first surface with an adhesive means for removably adhering to skin tissue, wherein the first surface of the support is substantially rigid. It is preferred that the first surface is substantially flat.

The support is preferably an object which is rigid or inflexible.

The support may be generally planar. The support preferably comprises ^~a bϋcton.

The adhesive means may comprise an adhesive member having a first major surface attached to the support and another major surface with an adhesive for adhering to skin tissue.

The adhesive means may comprise an adhesive strip.

The adhesive means may comprise a flat member. The flat member may have adhesive on each major face.

It is preferred that the adhesive means comprises double-sided tape. The adhesive is preferably water soluble/soapy water soluble.

The support may comprise a flat disc.

The device preferably includes a suspension means for releasing a substance for absorption by the skin. It is preferred that the suspension means comprises a sponge/foam material.

The substance may comprise any one or more of a moisturiser, vitamin, mineral, salts, magnesium sulphate, oils, cream, collagen. According to one embodiment of the invention the support comprises a central recess in its top face.

The central recess may be circular.

Preferably the support comprises an annular top surface. The support preferably comprises an insert located in the central recess.

The insert may comprise a material infused with a skin treatment substance.

Preferably the insert comprises felt. The substance may be a fluid.

Preferably the fluid is a gel.

It is preferred that the adhesive layer is located on the annular top surface.

According to another embodiment an adhesive top layer covers the annular top ^"surface and tne insert.

The adhesive layer may be perforated above the insert. Preferably the perforations allow fluid infused in the insert to pass through the adhesive layer.

The fluid may comprise aloe vera gel and colloidal mineral silica. The present invention also provides. a method for treating wrinkles or the like comprising the steps of providing a rigid support having a first surface, adding an adhesive means to the first surface capable of adhering to skin tissue to form a device for treating wrinkles, placing the adhesive means on skin tissue whereby skin adheres to the adhesive means and whereby the support can be removed from the skin tissue.

Preferably the method includes removing the device from the skin tissue after a predetermined period of time.

It is preferred that the method includes washing the skin tissue with a compound of magnesium sulphate, three parts by volume and two parts by volume of sodium bicarbonate prior to adhering the device to the skin tissue.

Preferably the skin tissue is treated with skin care lotion such as Ke trogena™ lotion prior to and/or after removal of the device from skin tissue.

Preferably the device has one or more of the features described previously.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for treating wrinkles or the like comprising the steps of providing a rigid support having a first surface, adding an adhesive means to the first surface capable of adhering to skin tissue to form a device for treating wrinkles, placing the adhesive means on skin tissue whereby skin tissue adheres to the adhesive means and whereby the support can be removed from the skin tissue. Prererably the method includes removing^" the^" device from the skin tissue after a predetermined period of time. It is preferred that a solvent is used to assist with removal of the adhesive means .

The skin tissue may be part of a person's face.

It is preferred that the device has anyone of the previous features .

The method may include applying a moisturiser to the skin tissue prior to placing the device thereon.

Preferably the method includes applying a salt solution such as magnesium sulphate to the skin tissue prior to placing the device thereon.

The support may comprise a preshaped structure which is able to substantially conform to the shape of a face or part thereof .

The support may be moulded to the shape of the face or part thereof.

The support may be in the form of mask for placement around the eyes of a person.

It is preferred that the support includes an attachment means to assist in keeping the support adhered to the skin tissue.

The support may include holding means to allow the support to be easily placed in a desired location on skin tissue.

The support may include a strap or band to allow the support to be held over a person's face.

The adhesive means may comprise a glue such as a releasing glue. (Can be removed from skin tissue slowly without damaging the skin tissue) .

The words "comprising, having, including" should be interpreted in an inclusive sense, meaning that additional features may also be added. Brief Description of the Drawings

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a front view of a device for treating skin tissue according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a top view of the device shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 shows a front view of a device for treating skin tissue according to another embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description of the Drawings

According to the preferred embodiment a flat round button 11 is provided with a strip of double-sided adhesive tape 12 attached to one side thereof. The double-sided adhesive tape may be physically attached to one side of the button by removing a plastic film from one side and sticking it to that side of the button. When it is desired to place the device over the skin tissue below a person' s eye for example the film of plastic from the other side of the adhesive tape is removed and the device is strategically placed over one or more creases. Positioning is preferably from the tail of the crease inwards to the deepened cross-section. As the crease tail starts to vanish application is moved inwards. The crease area of tissue is slightly separated by using a gentle finger tip expanding pressure outwards leaving room to position the device over the creased area.

The device is left in position for as long as desired especially during sleeping hours. When the device is removed at any time simply by lightly peeling off in an outwards direction, removal is easily accomplished with no discomfort nor marking or discolouration of the tissue. An overnight application will at times leave a small impression of the button, but this soon vanishes once the skin is washed and exposed to daily routine. This for example may take 30 to 40 minutes. Once the device has been used it is designed to be thrown away due to the inability of the adhesive to maintain its adhesive aggressiveness from contamination by skin oils. In addition sanitary considerations make it prudent to follow this course of action. It is expected that the device would be extremely cheap to purchase and therefore disposal after one usage should not be a significant factor in its cost effectiveness . The device is intended to aim at tissue crease fading in a progressive manner over several weeks for shallow young tissue creases to a month or so for the mature creases in older skin. It is envisaged that in most cases for normal healthy skin most if not all traces would be removed.

The device is not expected to be of much use for more advanced problem skin due to age, exposure to the sun for long periods, etc.

The device works by effectively pulling the skin tissue upwardly and maintaining it in a fixed orientation closely approximating the surface of the button to which the adhesive is attached. Therefore skin, which lies within the creases or wrinkles, is lifted and held in its desired position. To assist with this process the invention envisages the use of some sort of compound or chemical to accelerate and possibly prolong the effectiveness of the device in removing creases.

A button has been chosen for the backing device of the adhesive, as this is a simple and cheap device to purchase. However specially moulded items may be provided so that they are contoured to shape of the part of the face or other part of the body to which the device is to be attached.

Double-sided tape such as commercially available medically approved double- sided adhesive tape made by 3M™ may be a suitable adhesive.

The button may take the shape of any geometric form for example the outside diameter of the button could be for normal use around two centimetres. Other shapes and sizes may be used for specific purposes.

For the person wearing the device the best thickness for comfort would range from 1mm to 3mm. The adhesive may be about .3mm in thickness.

It is important that the button has a sufficient rigidity to resist bending which would allow the skin in creases of skin tissue to relapse to their original location within the crease. Therefore as long as the tissue is held out of the crease, the device would work. Thus plastic items seem to work quite well.

As an alternative adhesive tape may be used alone. It is still important however that the tape has enough "rigidity" to prevent it being pulled into the creases of the skin. Thus even though tape as such would be quite flexible, it still has sufficient rigidity to draw creases out of skin tissue.

To assist with the reforming process the device may incorporate a substance such as a chemical which may be absorbed by the skin whilst wearing the device.

The substance could be held in suspension in say a foam or pad with adhesive on one side so that the substance could leach through the adhesive button via perforation holes in the adhesive and hence be absorbed by the skin tissue.

Pre- treatment of the skin tissue may also assist with the treatment process. Thus pre-treatment by the use of magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts) in solution applied to the treatment areas and left for a minimum of five minutes and longer if possible will be of assistance. The use of salts seems to hydrate and improve the process of attaching with the devices.

The use of salts also prepares the skin for adherence by the device and leaves a clean soap and oil free surface.

It is preferred that the Epsom salts is applied as part of a cream prior to adhering the device. After removal of the device the skin is preferably treated with an a ti-wrinkle cream to ensure hydration of the treated areas is maintained. Once creases have been removed maintenance of the effected area can be addressed by consistent application of the process and device application. The more the process is used and the device worn the quicker the creases vanish. Routine maintenance ensures they stay away. According to a variation of the present invention the button may be replaced by a thin rigid mask which is specially moulded to the shape of a person' s face or the part of the face around the eyes . The inner surface of the mask will be provided with the adhesive and to assist with retention of the mask over the face it may be desirable to add a strap or band which fits around a person's head to keep the mask in place. However it is envisaged that the adhesive would make this unnecessary if a person is using the device while sleeping. As shown in Figure 3 the device 20 consists of a flat cylindrical disk 21 with a ring 22 located on its upper surface. The ring 22 has a similar height to that of the disk 21.

A central recess 23 surrounded by the ring 22, is filled with a felt insert 24.

The felt insert is infused with a mixture of aloe vera gel (97.4% pure) and colloidal mineral silica (silica-colloidal anhydrous 28mg/ml purified water) .

Additionally or alternatively other chemicals or nutrients considered to be of assistance in skin tissue repair may be used.

The top surface of the felt is substantially co- terminus with a double sided tape layer 25 located on the top surface of the ring 22. It is preferred that a protective peel off paper layer covers the entire top surface of the device 20.

The device 20 is used in a similar fashion to the device described in the associated provisional application. However, modifications are incorporated in this application described below.

Before the device is placed on skin tissue, the skin of the affected area is washed using a compound of magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts) three parts by volume and two parts by volume of sodium bicarbonate (bicarb soda) . The latter can be varied in volume according to personal preference . A skin care lotion can be applied prior to and/or after the device has been removed from the skin. A preferred skin lotion is Neutrogena™ skin care lotion.

A further embodiment of the invention includes providing an adhesive layer across the entire top surface of the device and having perforations through the adhesive layer in the region above the felt insert 24. This provides additional adhesive contact with the skin, but allows diffusion/absorption by the skin of the substance held in the felt insert. According to other embodiments of the present invention the width of the ring may be increased to reduce the size of the felt insert. In addition the device may be provided with multiple recesses in its top surface with each recess provided with an insert with a skin treatment solution infused therein.

Alternatively the or each recess may be provided with a skin treatment solution according to any one of the previously described options and the adhesive layer may cover the entire top surface. Perforations provided in the top layer in the region of the recesses will allow gradual release of the treatment solution from the recesses.

Although it is envisaged that many or most of the described embodiments will be used at night, while the wearer is sleeping, inconspicuous embodiments specifically for daytime use may also be provided. One such embodiment comprises a transparent disc, preferably formed from a transparent plastic material, e.g. polycarbonate, over which, in use, make up could be applied. It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or in any other country.

Claims

1. A device for treating skin tissue comprising a support having a first surface with an adhesive means for adhering to skin tissue, wherein the first surface of the support is substantially, rigid.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first surface is substantially flat.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the object is rigid.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the object has a hard surface.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the support is substantially planar.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5 wherein the support comprises a button.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adhesive means comprises an adhesive member having a first major surface attached to the support and another major surface with an adhesive for adhering to skin tissue.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7 wherein the adhesive means comprises an adhesive strip.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adhesive means comprises a flat member.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9 wherein the flat member has adhesive on each major face.

11. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adhesive means comprises double sided tape.

12. The device as claimed in claim 8 wherein the adhesive is water soluble. ^"

13. The device claimed in claim 1 wherein the support comprises a flat disc.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1 including a suspension means for releasing a substance for absorption by the skin over a predetermined period of time.

15. The device as claimed in claim 15 wherein the suspension means comprises a sponge.

16. The device as claimed in claim 15 wherein the substance includes any one or more of a moisturiser, vitamin, mineral, salt, magnesium sulphate, oil, cream, collagen.

17. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the support comprises a central recess in its top surface.

18. The device as claimed in claim 17 wherein the central recess is circular.

19. The device as claimed in claim 18 wherein the support comprises an annular top surface.

20. The device as claimed in claim 19 wherein the support comprises an insert located in the central recess .

21. The device as claimed in claim 20 wherein the insert comprises a material infused with a skin treatment substance.

22. The device as claimed in claim 21 wherein the insert comprises felt.

23. The device as claimed in claim 22 wherein the substance comprises a fluid.

24. The device as claimed in claim 23 wherein the fluid is a gel.

25. The device as claimed in claim 22 wherein the adhesive means comprises an adhesive layer located on the annular top surface.

26. The device as claimed in claim 22 wherein the adhesive means comprises an adhesive layer covering the annular top surface and the insert.

27. The device as claimed in claim 26 wherein the adhesive layer is perforated above the insert.

28. The device as claimed in claim 27 wherein the perforations allow fluid infused in the insert to pass through the adhesive layer.

29. The device as claimed in claim 28 wherein the fluid comprises ^"aloe vera gel and colloidal mineral silica .

30. A method for treating wrinkles or the like comprising the steps of providing a rigid support having a first surface, adding an adhesive means to the first surface capable of adhering to skin tissue to form a device for treating wrinkles, placing the adhesive means on skin tissue whereby skin tissue adheres to the adhesive means and whereby the support can be removed from the skin tissue.

31. The method as claimed in claim 31 including the step of removing the device from the skin tissue after a predetermined period of time.

32. The device as claimed in claim 31 including washing the skin tissue with a compound of magnesium sulphate, three parts by volume and two parts by volume of sodium bicarbonate prior to adhering the device to the skin tissue.

33. The method as claimed in claim 32 including the step of treating the skin tissue with skin care lotion prior to and after removal of the device from skin tissue.

34. The method as claimed in claim 30 including the step of applying a salt solution to the skin tissue prior to placing the device thereon.

35. The device as claimed in claim 31 wherein the support comprises a pre-shaped structure which is able to substantially conform to the shape of a face or part thereof.

3δ. The device as claimed in claim 30 wherein the adhesive means comprises a releasing glue.