Microstructures for treating and conditioning skin

Abstract

An improved method and apparatus is provided as a system to enhance skin appearance and health, in which skin is cleaned (or exfoliated) and conditioned by use of microelements affixed to a base element or hand-held patch. The dimensions of the microelements are controlled so as to remove a certain number of layers of skin cells and to accumulate those skin cells, along with other foreign substances, into areas between the microelements. In addition, a conditioning compound or therapeutic active can be applied to the exfoliated skin to enhance the skin. Moreover, the amount of accumulated skin cells represents a self-limiting maximum quantity that cannot be substantially exceeded regardless of the number of attempts by a user to re-use the microstructure apparatus.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60 / 240,730 and 60 / 240,787 both filed on Oct. 16, 2000.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates generally to systems for treating and conditioning skin and is particularly directed to an article of manufacture used to perform one or more functions such as enhancing skin, removing dead skin cells, removing accumulated make-up and cosmetics, extracting skin constituencies, depositing skin enhancing compositions, and improving skin appearance. The invention is specifically disclosed as a planar array of microelements that delivers an adjunct skin enhancement composition from at least one reservoir attached thereto, or the composition can be applied directly to skin and utilized therein in combination with the article of manufacture. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Human skin is the largest organ. Skin and hair are the surfaces of the human body that are visible to others and th...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] Accordingly, it is an advantage of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus that can enhance the health and the appearance of human skin.

[0009] It is another advantage of the present invention to provide an article of manufacture to treat the surface of skin, which is capable of selectively modifying the skin surface and capable of discriminately removing differential amounts of the body's outer skin layer (the stratum corneum).

[0010] It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide articles of manufacture that are capable of removing not only unwanted layers of skin, but can also be fashioned in a manner to selectively remove body hair. At the same time the skin is being conditioned, the articles of manufacture can controllably deposit one or more skin care compositions thereto or provide a skin treatment.

[0011] It is still another advantage of the present invention to provide articles of manufacture which can deliver a metered amount of a composition, remove a specific number of cellular layers (e.g., skin layers), and the like; the articles of manufacture can also be made for any type of one-time treatment after which the individual article is disposed of.

[0012] Additional advantages and other novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned with the practice of the invention.

[0013] To achieve the foregoing and other advantages, and in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method for removing cells from skin is provide, in which the method comprises the steps of: (1) providing a microstructure having a substrate and a plurality of microelements; (2) placing the microstructure on skin then rubbing the microstructure against the skin, thereby scraping and accumulating skin cells on the substrate in areas between the plurality of microelements; and (3) withdrawing the microstructure from the skin, and thereby removing a large majority of the skin cells that have accumulated upon the substrate.

Problems solved by technology

However, make-up can be deposited into opened pores and if not thoroughly rinsed can leave the skin with an unwanted film of dirt, dead skin cells, oxidized oil.

These airborne skin cells are distasteful at best, and could represent some type of health hazard in certain situations.

This can be an undesirable situation, since the person may possibly injure himself or herself by being too vigorous, or since the person may achieve nothing by not being vigorous enough.

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