Fatty Acid Salt Mesh Composition for Immediate Hot Flash Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for an alternative, non-medical solution to alleviate menopausal symptoms, particularly hot flashes, that provides immediate relief without hormonal intervention and does not require a doctor's prescription.
Innovation Solution
A personal care composition comprising 1% to 12% by weight of a fatty acid salt with 13 to 20 carbon atoms, 70% to 99.5% water, 0.5% to 15% alcohol, and 0.1% to 25% sensate, applied topically to the skin for at least 60 seconds to provide immediate cooling relief.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If oral medications or supplements are used to treat hot flashes, then hormone levels may be normalized, but immediate relief is not provided and side effects occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces oral pharmacological treatment with a topical mechanical/physical system. The composition uses a crystalline mesh structure that, when compressed by hand, mechanically expresses cooling aqueous solution directly onto the skin. This substitution eliminates the delayed systemic absorption of oral medications and provides immediate localized cooling relief.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a handheld device as an intermediary between the user and the treatment. This device contains the crystalline mesh composition and, when squeezed, delivers the cooling solution directly to the skin. The intermediary enables immediate controlled delivery of the therapeutic agent, bypassing the delayed effect of oral administration.
2Reliability
If hormone replacement therapy is used to treat menopausal symptoms, then estrogen levels are supplemented, but contraindications such as history of cancer and thromboembolism limit its use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces hormonal pharmacological intervention with a non-pharmaceutical physical cooling system. By using a crystalline mesh that expresses cooling aqueous solution upon compression, the invention provides symptom relief through physical cooling rather than hormonal supplementation, thereby eliminating contraindications related to cancer history and thromboembolism.
3Reliability
If prescription medications like clonidine or SSRIs are used to suppress norepinephrine release, then thermoregulatory centers are activated, but mixed success and side effects such as fatigue and nausea occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces pharmacological suppression of norepinephrine with a physical cooling mechanism. The compressed crystalline mesh delivers cooling solution that directly lowers skin temperature, providing thermoregulatory relief without affecting neurotransmitter systems and avoiding side effects like fatigue and nausea.
4Loss of time
If a topical composition with high water content is applied to provide cooling relief, then immediate relief is achieved, but the composition may leave residue or add unwanted moisture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a crystalline mesh structure with inherent porosity. This mesh contains the aqueous solution within its voids and, when compressed, expresses the solution in a controlled manner. The porous structure allows the composition to deliver sufficient cooling moisture while excess water drains away, preventing residue and unwanted moisture accumulation on the skin.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transitions of water within the crystalline mesh structure. The composition maintains a solid gel state during storage but transitions to expressing liquid aqueous solution when compressed. This parameter change enables controlled delivery of cooling moisture that provides relief without leaving excessive residue.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition offers immediate and extended cooling sensation, lasting from 10 seconds to 60 minutes, effectively alleviating hot flashes without adding moisture or leaving a residue, and is discreet and practical for use in various situations.
Implementation Method 1
The fatty acid salts form fiber-like crystalline particles that together form a self-supporting mesh structure with voids, the aqueous solution being contained in the voids
Implementation Method 2
When the composition is compressed above a critical stress, the mesh allows for the entrapped aqueous solution to be expressed
Implementation Method 3
from 0.5% to about 15% by weight of an alcohol selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, and mixtures thereof, and from about 0.1% to about 25% by weight of a sensate, preferably a cooling sensate
Implementation Method 4
The composition offers immediate and extended cooling sensation, lasting from 10 seconds to 60 minutes
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to compositions comprising an aqueous solution of at least about 70% by weight water in combination with selected fatty acid salts and optionally an alcohol and/or a cooling sensate, as well as methods of using the same to treat symptoms of hot flashes. The fatty acid salts form fiber-like crystalline particles that together form a self-supporting mesh structure with voids, the aqueous solution being contained in the voids. When the composition is compressed above a critical stress, the mesh allows for the entrapped aqueous solution to be expressed.