Tissue Stretching Apparatus for Deep Substance Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional skin treatment technologies face inefficiencies in delivering energy or substances to targets due to substantial loss in surrounding tissue, often requiring high amounts of energy or substances, which can compromise epidermal safety and patient comfort.
Innovation Solution
The method involves stretching biological tissue using negative pressure to create openings, allowing substances to penetrate deeper into the tissue, and relaxing the tissue to draw the substances in, while optionally using energy sources like light or radio frequency for enhanced treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional light-based technologies are used to treat skin conditions, then treatment effectiveness is achieved through light absorption by targets, but substantial loss of light occurs in surrounding tissue leading to collateral damage
Solution Approach 1:
The tissue is stretched prior to substance application to open pores and create pathways. This preliminary mechanical preparation allows substances to penetrate deeper into the tissue when applied, improving delivery effectiveness while reducing the need for high energy levels that would cause collateral damage.
Solution Approach 2:
A substance carrier (such as a gel or liquid medium) is introduced as an intermediary to deliver the active substance to the target. This carrier facilitates deep penetration through the opened pores created by stretching, enabling effective treatment with reduced energy loss and minimal collateral damage to surrounding tissue.
2Productivity
If high amounts of energy or substances are applied to compensate for light loss, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but epidermal safety and patient comfort are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
By stretching the tissue beforehand to open pores and create penetration pathways, the substance can be delivered more efficiently to the target. This preliminary action increases substance delivery efficiency without requiring high amounts of energy or substance, thereby protecting the epidermis and ensuring patient comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of the tissue is changed through stretching to alter pore openness and penetration characteristics. This parameter change enables more effective substance delivery through enhanced permeability, allowing treatment with lower energy and substance levels that maintain epidermal safety and patient comfort.
3Reliability
If substances are applied to treat acne by targeting sebaceous glands, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but access to the glands is difficult due to the epidermis covering
Solution Approach 1:
The epidermis is stretched beforehand to open pores and create access pathways to the sebaceous glands. This preliminary mechanical action removes the barrier of closed pores, enabling substances to reach the glands effectively for acne treatment while maintaining ease of operation through the opened pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
A substance carrier acts as an intermediary that facilitates penetration through the opened pores to reach the sebaceous glands. This carrier enables effective delivery of acne treatment substances to the glands while the stretched tissue maintains open pathways, improving both treatment effectiveness and ease of access.
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
This approach increases the efficiency of substance delivery, reduces collateral damage, and enhances treatment effectiveness by allowing substances to penetrate deeper into the skin, improving treatment outcomes while maintaining patient comfort.
Implementation Method 1
The stretching may be performed by applying a pressure, which is less than atmospheric pressure, (which may be referred to as 'negative pressure'), e.g., a vacuum, to the biological tissue
Implementation Method 2
The light, when applied directly to the human body, is absorbed by the various targets, for example, hemoglobin in the blood; the water in the skin; the melanin in the skin
Implementation Method 3
Energy may be provided to the biological tissue while stretching is performed. The energy may be a light, a radio frequency, an ultrasound
Implementation Method 4
Energy may be provided to the biological tissue while stretching is performed. The energy may be a light, a radio frequency, an ultrasound
Implementation Method 5
The carrier fluid, at least in certain embodiments, is not designed to evaporate in significant portions when the negative pressure is applied. In other embodiments, the carrier fluid may evaporate, while under a vacuum, thereby causing evaporative cooling on the surface of the biological tissue
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses to apply substances to a biological tissue are described. The tissue having an target below a surface is stretched to provide openings in a surface. Stretching forces a material from the target onto the surface. A first substance may be applied while stretching to promote cleaning the tissue. A second substance may be applied to the surface. Energy may be applied to the tissue. Then the tissue is relaxed to draw the second substance through the openings into the tissue. The tissue may be stretched by applying a negative pressure, and relaxed by removing the negative pressure. The first substance may be an abrasive material. The second substance is a medicine, a moisturizer, a lotion, or any combination thereof. The second substance may be applied to the biological tissue using a positive pressure. The apparatus to apply substances may be a handheld device.