Skin treatment device and ultrasound tip for the same

Abstract

The present invention is derived to solve the problems of the conventional technology described above, and aims to provide a skin treatment device and an ultrasonic tip used therein, wherein an ultrasonic tip is detachably mounted on the tip of a needleless syringe so that a drug ejected from a nozzle passes through the ultrasonic tip and is sprayed onto the skin, and ultrasonic vibration energy is transmitted to the skin after drug ejection to promote the absorption and diffusion of the drug within the skin, thereby evenly and widely dispersing and absorbing the drug ejected through the nozzle to the surroundings, and enabling a comfortable procedure by not causing discomfort or pain to the patient due to the absence of electrical stimulation, and capable of promoting blood circulation and collagen production through deep heat effects and physical stimulation.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a drug administration device for administering drugs into the body of a treatment subject, and more specifically, to a skin treatment device capable of selective treatment of drug injection injection into the body of a treatment subject by spraying drugs without a needle and promoting skin absorption of drugs by therapeutic ultrasound, and an ultrasonic tip used therein. Background Technology

[0002] Recently, procedures to inject active ingredients such as drugs, fillers, and cosmetics into the skin are being widely performed in various medical fields, including cosmetic procedures, treatment of skin diseases, and vaccination.

[0003] Traditionally, the most common method of administering medication into the skin is by using a needle. However, needle injection methods cause severe pain and fear in the patient and carry risks of bleeding, bruising, and tissue damage at the injection site, as well as secondary infection due to the reuse of needles or careless handling.

[0004] To overcome the disadvantages of needle syringes, needle-free injectors have been developed and are in use, utilizing high-pressure jets to penetrate drugs into the skin without a needle. Needle-free injectors have the advantage of delivering drugs to desired depths, such as the dermis, while minimizing pain, by spraying drugs through a fine nozzle using powerful pressure generated by springs, gases, piezoelectric elements, or solenoid coils.

[0005] However, there was a limitation in that the drug injected under high pressure would clump in a narrow area within the tissue or fail to spread evenly to surrounding tissues, resulting in the absorption rate or bioavailability of the drug falling short of expectations.

[0006] A composite skin treatment device has been developed that combines needleless injection with electroporation technology, which maximizes drug absorption by applying electrical pulses to the skin to form temporary micro-holes in the cell membrane, as a way to overcome these limitations and increase the absorption rate of drugs into the skin.

[0007] In relation to this, prior art documents disclosed include Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2025-0141538, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2025-0141539, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2025-0070545, and International Publication WO2025-192944.

[0008] When using an electrode tip for electroporation as in conventional technology, there is an advantage in that it exhibits excellent effectiveness in directly delivering substances with very large molecular weights into the cell, which are difficult to penetrate the skin by general skin absorption methods.

[0009] However, in the case of the conventional technology described above, when performing a procedure with an electrode tip for electroporation, one may feel a subtle but characteristic tingling discomfort or metallic pain, and especially when performing a procedure around the face, muscle twitching may occur involuntarily, and there was a problem with the physical diffusion ability to evenly spread the drug mass sprayed through the nozzle throughout the skin tissue. The problem to be solved

[0010] The present invention is derived to solve the problems of the conventional technology described above, and aims to provide a skin treatment device and an ultrasonic tip used therein, wherein an ultrasonic tip is detachably mounted on the tip of a needleless syringe so that a drug ejected from a nozzle passes through the ultrasonic tip and is sprayed onto the skin, and ultrasonic vibration energy is transmitted to the skin after drug ejection to promote the absorption and diffusion of the drug within the skin, thereby evenly and widely dispersing and absorbing the drug ejected through the nozzle to the surroundings, and enabling a comfortable procedure by not causing discomfort or pain to the patient due to the absence of electrical stimulation, and capable of promoting blood circulation and collagen production through deep heat effects and physical stimulation. means of solving the problem

[0011] A skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a handpiece including a piston that reciprocates by the driving force of a driving unit provided inside; a drug injection head coupled to the tip of the handpiece and having a drug chamber that receives a drug inside and a nozzle that sprays the drug inside the drug chamber to the outside by pressurizing the piston; an ultrasonic tip detachably coupled to the tip of the drug injection head and having a drug penetration hole through which the drug sprayed from the nozzle passes, and which contacts the skin to deliver therapeutic ultrasound energy; and a control unit that controls the operation of the driving unit and the ultrasonic tip.

[0012] Additionally, preferably, the ultrasonic tip comprises a tip body forming an outer surface and having an opening into which the drug spray head is inserted, a horn formed of a metal material and disposed at the tip of the tip body to contact the skin during skin treatment, and a piezoelectric element attached to the inner surface or one side of the horn to generate ultrasonic vibrations according to the piezoelectric effect in response to an electrical signal, wherein the ultrasonic therapy energy is transmitted to the skin by the piezoelectric element and the horn.

[0013] Additionally, preferably, a tip connection terminal for supplying power to the ultrasonic tip is provided at the tip of the handpiece, and the ultrasonic tip is characterized by including a connection connector that is electrically connected to the tip connection terminal and transmits power to the piezoelectric element by coupling the tip body to the handpiece.

[0014] Additionally, preferably, the control unit is configured to control so that ultrasonic therapy energy is not generated by the ultrasonic tip before the drug is sprayed through the nozzle of the handpiece, and to control the ultrasonic tip to generate ultrasonic therapy energy after the drug is sprayed through the nozzle, thereby promoting skin absorption of the drug sprayed through the nozzle.

[0015] Additionally, preferably, the ultrasonic tip comprises: a tip body having a drug penetration guide that forms an outer surface, has an opening at its rear end for coupling to the handpiece, and forms the drug penetration hole inside; a horn made of metal material coupled to the tip body and having a ring shape with a portion corresponding to the drug penetration hole; a piezoelectric element having a ring shape attached to the inner surface of the horn and generating ultrasonic vibrations according to the piezoelectric effect in response to an electrical signal; and a connection connector connected to an electrical connection part that electrically connects the piezoelectric element, and which electrically contacts the tip connection terminal to transmit an electrical signal to the piezoelectric element when the tip body is coupled to the handpiece.

[0016] Meanwhile, an ultrasonic tip used in a skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention is an ultrasonic tip detachably coupled to the tip of a handpiece that sprays a drug through a nozzle by means of the driving force of a driving unit provided inside, and comprises: a tip body having an opening formed at the rear end to be detachably coupled to the tip of the handpiece and a drug penetration hole formed inside to form a drug spray passage by the nozzle; a horn formed of a metal material and disposed at the tip of the tip body to contact the skin during skin treatment; and a piezoelectric element attached to the inner surface or one side of the horn to generate ultrasonic vibrations according to the piezoelectric effect in accordance with an electrical signal, so as to promote the absorption of the drug by transmitting energy according to the ultrasonic vibrations to the skin by the piezoelectric element and the horn when the drug sprayed from the nozzle of the handpiece is sprayed onto the skin through the drug penetration hole.

[0017] Additionally, preferably, the invention further comprises an electrical connection portion provided inside the tip body to be electrically connected to the piezoelectric element, and a connection connector provided on the rear end side of the tip body, which is electrically connected to a tip connection terminal provided at the tip end of the handpiece when coupled to the tip end of the handpiece, and transmits power and electrical signals to the piezoelectric element through the electrical connection portion to drive the piezoelectric element. Effects of the invention

[0018] The skin treatment device and the ultrasonic tip used therein according to the present invention transmit ultrasonic vibration energy to the skin after drug injection through a nozzle to promote the absorption and diffusion of the drug within the skin, thereby evenly and widely dispersing and absorbing the drug injected through the nozzle to the surroundings. Furthermore, since there is no electrical stimulation, it does not cause discomfort or pain to the patient, enabling a comfortable procedure. Additionally, it has the effect of promoting blood circulation and collagen production through deep heat effects and physical stimulation. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0019] FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2(a) shows a state in which a handpiece performing a needleless injection function and a drug spray head are separated in a skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2(b) shows a state in which a drug spray head is coupled to the handpiece shown in FIG. 2(a). FIG. 3(a) shows a cross-section II of the handpiece and drug spray head of the skin treatment device shown in FIG. 2(a) in a separated state, and FIG. 3(b) shows a cross-section II-II of the handpiece of the skin treatment device shown in FIG. 2(b). FIG. 4(a) shows the operation of a plunger and a piston for injecting a drug into the skin by placing the nozzle tip of the handpiece shown in FIG. 3(b) against the skin of the treatment target, and FIG. 4(b) shows the return operation of the piston and the plunger after the operation for injecting the drug of the handpiece shown in FIG. 4(a). FIG. 5(a) shows a state in which a handpiece of a skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention and an ultrasonic tip for ultrasonic therapy treatment are separated, and FIG. 5(b) shows a state in which an ultrasonic tip is mounted on the tip of the handpiece shown in FIG. 5(a). FIG. 6 shows a cross-section III-III of FIG. 5(a) as an ultrasonic tip according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7(a) shows a state in which the horn of the ultrasonic tip of a skin treatment device equipped with an ultrasonic tip is in contact with the skin as shown in FIG. 5(b), and FIG. 7(b) shows a case in which absorption of the drug into the skin occurs by applying ultrasonic therapy energy through the ultrasonic tip after drug injection through the nozzle tip of the handpiece in the state shown in FIG. 7(a). Specific details for implementing the invention

[0020] Specific details regarding the skin treatment device according to the present invention and the ultrasonic tip used therein are described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0021] FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] A skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention basically comprises a device body (MD) and an applicator (AP) connected thereto.

[0023] Inside the main body of the device (MD), a power supply and a device for controlling it may be provided, and a touch-input display panel (700) may be provided so that the operator can set various parameters regarding the selective procedure of needleless injection and ultrasound therapy.

[0024] The applicator (AP) includes a handpiece (100) capable of needleless injection by spraying a predetermined amount of the drug from the drug source (SR) by having a drug source (SR) that stores the drug on one side, and can be configured to perform therapeutic ultrasonic treatment by attaching an ultrasonic tip (500) to the tip of the handpiece (100).

[0025] FIG. 2(a) shows a state in which a handpiece performing a needleless injection function and a drug spray head are separated in a skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2(b) shows a state in which a drug spray head is coupled to the handpiece shown in FIG. 2(a).

[0026] FIG. 3(a) shows a cross-section II of the handpiece and drug spray head of the skin treatment device shown in FIG. 2(a) in a separated state, and FIG. 3(b) shows a cross-section II-II of the handpiece of the skin treatment device shown in FIG. 2(b).

[0027] FIG. 4(a) shows the operation of a plunger and a piston for injecting a drug into the skin by placing the nozzle tip of the handpiece shown in FIG. 3(b) against the skin of the treatment target, and FIG. 4(b) shows the return operation of the piston and the plunger after the operation for injecting the drug of the handpiece shown in FIG. 4(a).

[0028] A skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a device for administering a drug into the skin for skin treatment of a patient, and comprises a needleless injection handpiece capable of spraying and injecting a drug into the skin without a needle, and a device equipped with an ultrasonic tip at its tip to absorb the drug applied to the skin into the skin by ultrasonic therapy treatment.

[0029] Needleless syringes come in various types depending on the mechanism by which they generate the pressure to spray medication. These include methods that generate pressure using the elastic force of a spring, gas combustion, air pressure, the piezoelectric effect of a piezoelectric element, laser energy to expand a liquid, and magnetic force using a solenoid coil to drive a piston.

[0030] In this specification, a case is described in which a needleless injection handpiece device of a skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to generate pressure by driving a piston with magnetic force using a solenoid coil; however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the needleless injection handpiece device of a skin treatment device according to the present invention can be configured in various ways as described above.

[0031] Additionally, although not illustrated in the drawings, the device body of a skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention may be provided with a driving unit current supply unit that supplies or cuts off current to a driving unit (i.e., a solenoid coil), a tip current supply unit that supplies or cuts off current to an ultrasonic tip through a tip connection terminal, and a control unit that performs either or simultaneously the current supply control to the driving unit and the current supply control to the ultrasonic tip according to a setting through a display panel (700).

[0032] A skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention may be configured to include a handpiece (100) that can be held by a practitioner's hand, and a drug spray head (300) coupled to the tip of the handpiece (100). The drug spray head (300) is replaceable as a consumable and is detachably coupled to the tip of the handpiece (100).

[0033] The drug injection head (300) may be configured to include a drug cylinder (200) having a drug chamber to be described later, and a nozzle tip (310) coupled to the tip of the drug cylinder (200).

[0034] The nozzle tip (310) can be detachably coupled to the tip of the drug cylinder (200), and the drug cylinder (200) can be detachably coupled to the tip of the handpiece (100).

[0035] As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the drug cylinder (200) may be configured to have a cylinder body (210), a drug supply head (230) provided on one side of the cylinder body (210), and a cap body (220) coupled to the rear end of the cylinder body (210).

[0036] A drug supply head (230) coupled to a drug cylinder (200) is for supplying a drug from an external drug source into the cylinder body (210), and the drug supply head (230) may be provided with a drug source coupling part (232) to enable coupling to a drug source.

[0037] The cylinder body (210) is provided with a drug chamber (216) that receives a drug supplied from a drug supply head (230).

[0038] The drug supply head (230) may be equipped with a drug source coupling part (232) to which an external drug source is connected, and a drug injection part (212) to which a drug is injected from the drug source into the drug chamber (216). A syringe, ampoule, or vial in which a drug is stored may be coupled to the drug source coupling part (232) as a drug source.

[0039] The drug injection part (212) is equipped with a one-way valve that opens when the drug is supplied from the drug source coupling part (232) and closes when the drug is not supplied, thereby preventing the drug stored in the drug chamber (216) from flowing back toward the drug supply head (230).

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3, the front end of the drug chamber (216) formed in the cylinder body (210) is connected to the nozzle tip (310) and is equipped with a spring (322) and an opening / closing member (321), and the rear end of the drug chamber (216) may be equipped with an elastic membrane member (250).

[0041] Since the opening / closing member (321) provided at the front end of the drug chamber (216) is in a state where it blocks the drug chamber (216) by the elastic force of the spring (322), the drug inside the drug chamber (216) is prevented from leaking toward the nozzle tip, and since the rear end of the drug chamber (216) is sealed by the elastic membrane member (250), the drug inside the drug chamber (216) is also prevented from leaking toward the handpiece.

[0042] In this state, as shown in FIG. 4(a), when the piston (150) moves to pressurize the elastic membrane member (250), the pressure causes the opening / closing member (321) to move in a direction that compresses the spring (322), thereby opening the front end of the drug chamber (216) so that the drug can be sprayed out through the nozzle (330).

[0043] As illustrated in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), a cap body (220) provided at the rear end of a drug cylinder (200) can be inserted between an operating cylinder (110) provided at the front of a handpiece (100) and a front case (115) to be coupled. At this time, a piston hole (225) is formed inside the cap body (220), and as the cap body (220) is coupled to the front case (115) of the handpiece, the operating cylinder (110) and the piston hole (225) are connected, so that the front end (151) of the piston (150) is positioned inside the piston hole (225), allowing the piston (150) to move within the piston hole (225) and the operating cylinder (110).

[0044] The drug cylinder (200) receives and receives a drug through a drug source (not shown) coupled to the drug source coupling part (232) of the drug supply head (230), and as shown in FIG. 4(a), with the end of the nozzle tip (310) in close contact with the skin, the tip (151) of the piston (150) provided inside the handpiece (100) pressurizes the drug contained in the drug cylinder (200) and delivers it to the nozzle tip (310) through the drug delivery path. The nozzle tip (310) can inject the drug delivered from the drug cylinder (200) into the skin through the nozzle (330) by the pressurizing force of the piston (150).

[0045] A handpiece (100) of a skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention may comprise a handpiece case (101) forming an exterior, a driving cylinder (140) mounted inside the handpiece case (101), and an operating cylinder (110) mounted at the tip of the driving cylinder (140) inside the handpiece case (101).

[0046] At the rear end of the handpiece case (101), a cable (not shown) is connected to the main body of the device (not shown) to transmit electrical signals for power and control to the handpiece case (101). At the front end of the driving cylinder (140), an operating cylinder (110) may be provided to guide the piston (150) to move forward and backward. The operating cylinder (110) may be provided by combining a first operating cylinder (112) and a second operating cylinder (114), or the first operating cylinder (112) and the second operating cylinder (114) may be integrated to be provided as a single component.

[0047] A driving cylinder (140) may be provided at the rear of the above-mentioned operating cylinder (110), and the rear end of the piston (150) may be positioned in the driving cylinder (140).

[0048] A plunger seat (142) is disposed at the rear end of the driving cylinder (140). A plunger (144) is provided within the driving cylinder (140) between the rear end (152) of the piston and the plunger seat (142) so as to be able to advance and retract a predetermined distance, and a solenoid coil (146) may be disposed on the outer surface of the driving cylinder (140) as a driving unit for driving the said plunger (144).

[0049] Inside the drive cylinder (140), the plunger seat (142) and the rear end (152) of the piston (150) are separated by a predetermined distance, and the plunger (144) can move by that distance.

[0050] The plunger seat (142) may be a permanent magnet. The plunger seat (142) may be fixed inside the rear end of the drive cylinder (140), and the solenoid coil (146) may be wound and positioned on the outer surface of the front part of the drive cylinder (140) and configured to be insulated so as not to be affected even if a cooling fluid is present outside.

[0051] As current is applied to the solenoid coil (146) wound on the outer circumference of the front part of the driving cylinder (140), a magnetic field is generated inside and around the coil (146), that is, inside and around the front side of the driving cylinder (140). The direction of the magnetic field changes depending on the direction of the current applied to the solenoid coil (146), and the plunger (144) provided inside the driving cylinder (140) can move forward or backward depending on the direction of the magnetic field generated by the solenoid coil (146).

[0052] The plunger (144) may be a permanent magnet that is provided inside the driving cylinder (140) and can move according to the magnetic field of the solenoid coil (146). As shown in FIG. 4(a), the plunger (144) advances by the solenoid coil (146) and applies an impact force to the rear end (152) of the piston (150), and the piston (150) can move forward by that force.

[0053] After that, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the piston (150) is pushed backward by the elastic restoring force of the elastic membrane member (250) of the drug cylinder, pushing out the plunger (144) and settling back onto the plunger seat (142). At this time, the mutually facing surfaces of the plunger seat (142), which is a permanent magnet, and the plunger (144), which is a permanent magnet, can each have different polarities so that the plunger (144) is attached to the plunger seat (142) by magnetic force.

[0054] In this state, when a predetermined current is applied to the solenoid coil (146), the plunger (144) moves back toward the piston (150) by the magnetic field generated in the driving cylinder (140), as shown in FIG. 4(a), and applies an impact force to the rear end (152) of the piston, and the piston (150) moves forward by the impact force. After the piston moves forward, if the application of current to the solenoid coil (146) is stopped or a current in the opposite direction is applied, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the piston (150) moves backward and pushes the plunger (144) back toward the plunger seat (142), and the plunger (144) moving accordingly can be settled back onto the plunger seat (142) by the magnetic force. In this way, the plunger (144) can repeatedly move forward and backward at high speed to repeatedly advance the piston (150).

[0055] A piston (150) is provided inside an operating cylinder (110), and the operating cylinder (110) is provided with a section-forming groove (122) to limit the movement range of the piston (150) to a predetermined range. The piston (150) may be configured to include a piston flange (153) provided around the piston body, which moves within the section-forming groove (122) according to the movement of the piston body and limits the movement range of the piston (150).

[0056] Meanwhile, ultrasonic therapy treatment can be performed on the skin of a treatment target by simply attaching an ultrasonic tip to the tip of the drug spray head (300) of the handpiece of the skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention as described above, and this is illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7.

[0057] Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of an ultrasonic tip according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and a skin treatment device equipped with the same will be described in detail with reference to the attached FIGS. 5 to 7.

[0058] FIG. 5(a) shows a state in which a handpiece (100) of a skin treatment device and an ultrasonic tip (500) for ultrasonic therapy treatment are separated according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5(b) shows a state in which the ultrasonic tip (500) is mounted on the tip of the handpiece shown in FIG. 5(a), i.e., the drug injection head (300). FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along line III-III of the ultrasonic tip (500) shown in FIG. 5(a), showing the internal configuration of the ultrasonic tip according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] And, FIG. 7(a) shows a state in which the horn (520) of the ultrasonic tip (500) of the skin treatment device is in contact with the epidermis (EM) of the skin as shown in FIG. 5(b), and FIG. 7(b) shows a state in which absorption (DA) of the drug (L) into the dermis layer (DM) of the skin is achieved by applying ultrasonic therapy energy through the ultrasonic tip (500) after drug injection through the nozzle (330) of the handpiece in the state shown in FIG. 7(a).

[0060] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, a skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an ultrasonic tip (500) that is detachably mounted on the tip of a handpiece (100), specifically on the outer side of the nozzle tip of a drug spray head (300).

[0061] The above-described ultrasonic tip (500) comprises a tip body (510) forming an exterior and a horn (520) housed inside the tip body (510) to transmit ultrasonic energy by directly contacting the skin, which is the treatment site. The horn (520) is preferably formed of a metal material such as aluminum, titanium, or stainless steel to effectively transmit ultrasonic vibrations to the skin.

[0062] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the tip body (510) is equipped with a horn (520) at the tip (i.e., distal end) and an opening (512) formed at the rear (i.e., proximal end) to be mounted on the drug injection head of the handpiece, and is provided with a drug penetration guide (535) that forms a drug penetration hole (530) in the center.

[0063] As the opening (512) of the tip body (510) is connected to the drug injection head (300) of the handpiece (100), the nozzle (330) of the drug injection head (300) is positioned inside the drug penetration guide (535) provided in the center of the tip body (510), so that the drug injected by the nozzle (330) can pass through the drug penetration hole (530) and be injected to the outside.

[0064] A drug penetration hole (530) is formed in the center of the horn (520) provided at the tip of the tip body (510) so that the drug sprayed from the nozzle (330) of the drug spray head (300) can pass through. As the drug penetration hole (530) is formed in the center in this way, the horn (520) can be formed in a ring shape overall, as shown in FIG. 5.

[0065] Additionally, a piezoelectric element (540) that converts an electrical signal into a mechanical vibration is attached to the inner surface or one side of the horn (520), and it is preferable that the piezoelectric element (540) also be provided in a ring shape corresponding to the shape of the ring-shaped horn (520).

[0066] Although not directly illustrated in the drawings, the device body of a skin treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a 'driver current supply unit' that supplies or cuts off current to a drive unit (e.g., a solenoid coil), a 'tip current supply unit' that supplies or cuts off current to an ultrasonic tip (500) through a tip connection terminal (280), and a 'control unit' that manages the operation sequence of the entire system by controlling the driver current supply unit and the tip current supply unit, respectively.

[0067] A tip connection terminal (280) is provided on one side of the nozzle tip provided at the tip of the handpiece (100), and is electrically connected to the tip current supply unit of the device body. As shown in FIG. 5(b), when the ultrasonic tip (500) is mounted on the drug injection head (300), the tip connection terminal (280) on one side of the nozzle tip and the connection connector (550) at the rear end of the ultrasonic tip (500) come into electrical contact.

[0068] The above-described connection connector (550) and tip connection terminal (280) may be configured such that, for example, a pogo pin contacts a power terminal to establish an electrical connection, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may include any form of electrical connection configuration. For example, a metal pin may be provided as the connection connector and a coupling hole may be formed as the tip connection terminal, so that when the ultrasonic tip (500) is coupled to the drug injection head (300), the metal pin is inserted into the coupling hole to establish an electrical connection between the metal pin and the coupling hole.

[0069] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a connection board (560) inside the ultrasonic tip (500) is electrically connected to a connection connector (550) and an electrical connection part (565), and the electrical connection part (565) is connected to a piezoelectric element (540) located inside the tip of the ultrasonic tip (500).

[0070] Accordingly, as the ultrasonic tip (500) is mounted on the drug spray head (300) of the handpiece, a current path is formed leading from the tip connection terminal (280) - connection connector (550) - electrical connection part (565) - piezoelectric element (540), so that the current transmitted from the tip current supply part of the device body can be applied to the piezoelectric element (540).

[0071] Meanwhile, with reference to FIGS. 7(a) and FIGS. 7(b), a drug absorption promotion operation using an ultrasonic tip according to one embodiment of the present invention and the control process thereof will be described.

[0072] First, referring to FIG. 7(a), the operator places the tip of the horn (520) of the skin treatment device equipped with the ultrasonic tip (500) in close contact with the skin (EM, epidermis) at the treatment site. In this standby state, the control unit controls the tip current supply unit (not shown) of the device body so that current is not supplied to the piezoelectric element (540).

[0073] This is because, when no drug is applied to the skin, there is no suitable medium to transmit ultrasonic vibrations, so it is desirable to cut off the current supply to the piezoelectric element to prevent unnecessary power consumption and to prevent the device from overheating, thereby preventing the generation of ultrasound.

[0074] Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 7(b), when the operation of the device is initiated by the operator, the control unit controls the driving unit current supply unit (not shown) of the device body to operate the driving unit (a device that generates driving force for drug injection) provided in the handpiece. Accordingly, the plunger and piston inside the handpiece operate to inject the drug (L) at high speed through the nozzle (330), and the injected drug is applied to the epidermis (EM) of the skin while a portion of it penetrates.

[0075] At this time, the control unit controls the tip current supply unit to supply current to the piezoelectric element (540) at the time when the drug (L) is sprayed and applied to the skin surface. The piezoelectric element (540) supplied with current generates ultrasonic vibrations due to the piezoelectric effect, and these vibrations are transmitted into the skin in the form of ultrasonic energy (US) through the horn (520).

[0076] In this process, the drug (L) applied to the skin epidermis (EM) acts as a medium for ultrasound transmission, allowing ultrasound energy to be efficiently transmitted into the skin.

[0077] Ultrasonic energy transmitted into the skin includes High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), which transmits energy at a focal distance separated from the position of a piezoelectric element, and ultrasonic vibration energy transmitted to the skin through a piezoelectric element and a horn, as in the present invention; the former is called focused ultrasound, and the latter is called therapeutic ultrasound or ultrasound therapy.

[0078] An ultrasonic tip according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to deliver ultrasonic therapy energy using a piezoelectric element and a horn as described above.

[0079] Such ultrasonic therapy energy can promote the rapid and even absorption (DA) of drugs applied to the epidermis (EM) deep into the dermis (DM) layer by applying ultrasonic vibrations to injected drug particles to increase the diffusion rate and inducing microscopic cavitation within the skin tissue.

[0080] In addition to merely promoting the absorption of drugs into the skin, the ultrasonic therapy energy described above can provide massage effects, cell activation and regeneration effects through the generation of deep heat, and more.

[0081] A tip current supply unit that supplies current to an ultrasonic tip can be configured to transmit a controlled electrical signal, and a control unit can control the tip current supply unit to cause the piezoelectric element to generate ultrasonic vibrations of a controlled frequency. That is, the control unit can control the frequency of the ultrasonic vibrations generated through the piezoelectric element.

[0082] The higher the frequency of ultrasonic vibrations, the shallower the ultrasonic energy is transmitted into the skin; conversely, the lower the frequency of ultrasonic vibrations, the deeper the energy can reach into the skin.

[0083] For example, by delivering ultrasonic energy at a frequency of 10 MHz to the skin, the ultrasonic energy can be delivered to the epidermis to effectively treat skin barrier damage, and by delivering ultrasonic energy at a frequency of 3 MHz to the skin, the energy can be penetrated deep into the skin to affect the muscle layer or fat layer, thereby providing muscle or lymphatic massage, or effects such as swelling removal and lifting.

[0084] The control unit controls the electrical signal transmitted to the piezoelectric element to control the frequency of the ultrasonic vibrations generated by the piezoelectric element to a high frequency or a low frequency, or alternately control them, so that not only can the drug applied to the skin be absorbed into the skin as described above, but also effects such as treatment or massage near the epidermal layer of the skin, generation of deep heat, or lifting can be produced.

[0085] As explained above, the skin treatment device and the ultrasonic tip used therein according to the present invention have the specific advantages of transmitting ultrasonic vibration energy to the skin after drug injection through a nozzle to promote the absorption and diffusion of the drug within the skin, thereby evenly and widely dispersing and absorbing the drug injected through the nozzle, enabling a comfortable procedure without causing discomfort or pain to the patient due to the absence of electrical stimulation, and promoting blood circulation and collagen production through deep heat effects and physical stimulation. Explanation of the symbols

[0086] 100: Handpiece, 150: Piston 216: Drug chamber, 250: Elastic membrane member 280: Tip connection terminal, 300: Drug spray head 330: Nozzle, 500: Ultrasonic tip 510: Tip body, 520: Horn 530: Drug penetration hole, 540: Piezoelectric element 550: Connection connector, 560: Connection board

Claims

Claim 1 A handpiece comprising a piston that reciprocates by the driving force of a drive unit provided inside; a drug injection head coupled to the tip of the handpiece and having a drug chamber that contains a drug inside and a nozzle that sprays the drug inside the drug chamber to the outside by the pressurization of the piston; and an ultrasonic tip detachably coupled to the tip of the drug injection head, having a drug penetration hole through which the drug sprayed from the nozzle passes, and delivering therapeutic ultrasound energy by contacting the skin. The apparatus includes a control unit that controls the operation of the driving unit and the ultrasonic tip, wherein the ultrasonic tip comprises: a tip body having a drug penetration guide that forms an outer surface, has an opening at its rear end for coupling to the handpiece, and forms a drug penetration hole inside; a horn made of metal material coupled to the tip body and having a ring shape with a portion corresponding to the drug penetration hole; a piezoelectric element having a ring shape attached to the inner surface of the horn and generating ultrasonic vibrations according to the piezoelectric effect in response to an electrical signal; and a connection connector connected to an electrical connection unit that electrically connects the piezoelectric element, and which electrically contacts a tip connection terminal provided on one side of the drug injection head when the tip body is coupled to the handpiece, thereby transmitting an electrical signal to the piezoelectric element. The control unit controls the ultrasonic tip so that ultrasonic therapy energy is not generated before the drug is injected through the nozzle of the handpiece, and controls the ultrasonic tip to generate ultrasonic therapy energy after the drug is injected through the nozzle, thereby [regarding] the skin of the drug injected through the nozzle A skin treatment device characterized by being configured to promote absorption. Claim 2 A skin treatment device according to claim 1, wherein the drug penetration hole of the tip body, the ring-shaped horn, and the ring-shaped piezoelectric element are arranged coaxially with respect to the nozzle of the handpiece, and are configured such that ultrasonic vibration energy generated from the piezoelectric element and the horn is transmitted to the target point using the drug sprayed to the target point of the skin through the nozzle as a medium. Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 delete Claim 6 An ultrasonic tip that is detachably coupled to the tip of a handpiece that sprays a drug through a nozzle by the driving force of a driving unit provided inside, comprising: a tip body having an opening formed at the rear end to be detachably coupled to the tip of the handpiece and a drug penetration hole formed inside to form a drug spray passage by the nozzle; a horn made of metal material coupled to the tip of the tip body and provided in a ring shape with a portion corresponding to the drug penetration hole and contacting the skin during skin treatment; a piezoelectric element provided in a ring shape to be attached to the inner surface of the horn and generating ultrasonic vibrations according to the piezoelectric effect according to an electrical signal; and a connection connector provided connected to an electrical connection part that electrically connects the piezoelectric element, and which electrically contacts a tip connection terminal on the handpiece side when the tip body is coupled to the handpiece so that an electrical signal is transmitted to the piezoelectric element, wherein when a drug sprayed from the nozzle of the handpiece is sprayed onto the skin through the drug penetration hole, energy according to ultrasonic vibrations by the piezoelectric element and the horn is transmitted to the skin to promote the absorption of the drug. Claim 7 An ultrasonic tip according to claim 6, wherein the drug penetration hole of the tip body, the ring-shaped horn, and the ring-shaped piezoelectric element are arranged coaxially with respect to the nozzle of the handpiece, and are configured such that ultrasonic vibration energy generated from the piezoelectric element and the horn is transmitted to the target point using the drug sprayed to the target point of the skin through the nozzle as a medium.

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