Abstract:
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for delivering or infusing oxygen into the deep layers of the skin. This is achieved through firstly spraying the skin area with a pre-oxygenated fluid and then causing the solution to permeate into the skin by applying a greater than atmospheric pressure to the sprayed skin. The apparatus provides for an air compressor that draws fluid from a tank to be sprayed through a trigger nozzle onto the skin. The end of the nozzle further includes a cavity defined by a peripheral skirt that engages against the skin to seal and pressurise an area.

Description:
[0001]     The present patent application is based on and claims priority from Australian Patent Application AU2004201456, filed Apr. 8, 2004.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Methods for revitalisation and stimulation of the skin have long been sought after, and many cosmetic techniques have been developed over the years as a result. The method of simply applying, rubbing or spraying cosmetic treatments onto the skin continues to be the most common method of skin treatment. However, it has been widely agreed upon in recent years that for skin treatments to take their full effect, they must penetrate through the epidermal layers of the skin into the deeper layers such as the dermis and hypodermis where assimilation with cells is much easier and a more thorough treatment is achieved. Newer methods of achieving transdermal delivery have therefore evolved. For example, injections of cosmetic treatments into the skin using a syringe or infusion into the skin under pressurised application are now common practices.  
         [0003]     It is also well known that skin cells begin to die without sufficient oxygen and as human beings become older, the level of oxygen in the skin significantly decreases. Therefore, newer methods have also involved the introduction of gaseous oxygen into the skin, and are achieved through pressurised application. This typically involves the use of a hand-piece through which flows pressurised gaseous oxygen, including a nozzle which is adapted to be placed against the skin whereby the oxygen, mixed or entrained with a cosmetic solution within the hand-piece, is infused into the skin. There are however a number of drawbacks to these existing methods of transdermal delivery. These include: 
        Syringes in general are not a favoured treatment of patients for obvious reasons:     when using pressurised gaseous oxygen, the oxygen draws moisture from the cells resulting in skin dehydration;     pressurised gaseous oxygen does not readily assimilate with skin cells, this being a key requirement in an effective skin treatment;     the pressurised gaseous oxygen technique does not allow for existing cosmetic solutions to be sprayed onto the skin prior to pressurised application; and     existing techniques involve the use of complex machinery such as filters and separation chambers for filtering outside air to form pure oxygen.        
 
         [0009]     It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome at least some of the aforementioned problems or to provide the public with a useful alternative.  
         [0010]     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of first spraying an oxygen-enriched cosmetic solution onto a skin surface and to then deliver the solution into the deep layers of the skin beyond the epidermal layer.  
         [0011]     It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the treatment of skin, the apparatus including an air compressing means and an outlet for the compressed air in the form of an attached air brush or like hand-piece including a nozzle and a solution containment means. A solution, that may be oxygenated, contained within the containment means is entrained with the compressed air at the nozzle and exits the nozzle in the form of a spray. Once the solution has been applied, the nozzle is brought into a sealing effect with the skin surface to thereby infuse the cosmetic solution into the skin by pressurised air means.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     Therefore in one form of the invention there is proposed an apparatus for transdermal delivery of a fluid to skin, said apparatus including: 
    a source of compressed gas connected to an outlet device, said outlet device including a nozzle, a trigger, a valve and a fluid tank containing said fluid;     said valve configured to control flow of said compressed gas through said aperture and whereby said flow of air causes said fluid to spray out of said nozzle;     wherein when said skirt is caused to engage said skin to said air pressure assists in injecting at least some of said fluid into said skin.    
 
         [0016]     Preferably said source of compressed gas is an air compressor.  
         [0017]     Preferably said nozzle includes a single aperture through which said compressed gas passes.  
         [0018]     Preferably said nozzle includes multiple apertures though which passes said compressed gas and fluid.  
         [0019]     Preferably said fluid contains at least in part oxygen.  
         [0020]     Preferably said valve is a trigger type valve.  
         [0021]     In a further form of the invention there is proposed a method for transdermal delivery of oxygen to a person, said method including the steps of: 
    spraying a fluid including at least in part oxygen to the skin of said person;     sealingly isolating an area of said skin onto which said fluid has been sprayed and applying a greater than atmospheric pressure thereto to cause at least some of said fluid to permeates into said skin.   
 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several implementations of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings,  
         [0025]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the apparatus embodying the present invention for the transdermal delivery of a fluid;  
         [0026]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of human skin illustrating the penetration of substances applied using various methods of treatment described in the prior art:  
         [0027]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the handheld outlet device of the present invention illustrating with broken lines the internal duct through which the pressurised atmospheric air passes; and  
         [0028]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of human skin illustrating the penetration of the cosmetic solution applied according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0029]     The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. Although the description includes exemplary embodiments, other embodiments are possible, and changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts.  
         [0030]     Referring to  FIG. 1  there is illustrated an apparatus  10  for the transdermal delivery of a fluid containing at least in part oxygen, including, an air compressor  12 , mounted within case  14 , pressure gauge  16 , power control switch  18  and an outlet  20 . Tube  22  is connected to the outlet  20  of the air compressor  12  via connection means or coupling  24 . The opposite end of the tube  22  is connected to a handheld outlet device  26  via connection means or second coupling  28 . The handheld outlet device  26  includes a nozzle  30 , a trigger  32  and a tank  34 , and is in pressurised communication with the air compressor  12  through tube  22 . The configuration of the handheld outlet device  26  can be in the form of a pistol grip device. However it should be understood by the reader that the present invention is not restricted to this configuration and any handheld device, which facilitates ease of use, could be used. The apparatus  10  can also incorporate other features such as a bracket  36  for holding the outlet device  26  or a clock (not shown) to measure the duration of treatment (not shown).  
         [0031]     The treatment of human skin for therapeutic and aesthetic reasons has occurred throughout the centuries. Many of these methods involved the application of cosmetic lotions or creams  38  to the outer surface  40  of skin  42  as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The lotion or cream  38  is typically rubbed into the surface of the skin  40  and is allowed to diffuse into the epidermal layer  44 . This type of treatment however has a distinct drawback as the lotion or cream  38  usually only penetrates a short distance ( 46 ) into the stratum corneum  48  of the epidermal layer  44 .  
         [0032]     But, it is known that deeper penetration lotions or creams increases their efficiency. This has led to various techniques being developed to increase the level of penetration. For example, syringes have been used to convey cosmetics directly to the deeper layers of skin. The use of needles however causes anxiety and fear in some patients. Furthermore, with the advent of AIDS many people shy away from unnecessary use of needles. Consequently, other methods have been developed to deliver cosmetics into the deeper layers of the skin such as the dermis  50  and hypodermis  52 .  
         [0033]     Oxygen is well known for the role it plays in the health and development of aerobic cells. Oxygen enhances the body&#39;s ability to metabolise, absorb, assimilate and utilise vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. As skin ages it looses its ability to consume and retain oxygen. It is believed that reduced oxygen is one of the causes of wrinkles, dark circles, puffy eyes and dull looking skin. Oxygen increases the metabolic health of cells, enhances collagen production and improves the functioning of blood vessels. Consequently, oxygen treatments are used in the cosmetic industry to overcome the visible effects of aging. Various methods have been developed over the years to utilise oxygen for the therapeutic treatment of human skin, including oxygen enhanced creams and lotions that are widely available. These however have the disadvantage of only penetrating the surface layer of the skin. Therefore, other methods have been developed for the delivery of oxygen-enhanced substances into the dermal  50  and hypodermal  52  layers of skin.  
         [0034]     One current method introduces gaseous oxygen into the skin  42  by pressurised application. As illustrated in  FIG. 2  an apparatus  54  is configured to deliver pressurised gaseous oxygen into the skin  42 . The pressurised oxygen penetrates ( 56 ) the epidermis  44  thereby making oxygen available in the deeper layers of skin  50  and  52 . There are however a number of disadvantages with this type of application. Pressurised gaseous oxygen draws moisture away from cells that can produce toxic results. Gaseous oxygen is also not readily bio-available to cells. Furthermore, the oxygen used in this method is very unstable and can produce harmful free radicals.  
         [0035]     To overcome some of these problems such methods use stabilisers and precursors to control the reactive nature of the oxygen. This then creates other problems, as these stabilisers can be carcinogenic. The treatment area of such methods is also reduced. Another problem with this system is that the equipment requires a series of filters and pumps that purify atmospheric air into an oxygen rich mixture. This configuration increases the cost of production and maintenance of the equipment.  
         [0036]     The present invention provides an apparatus and method of delivering an oxygen-enriched substance to the deeper layers of the skin without the use of pressurised gaseous oxygen. This avoids the potential toxic effects that can be caused by such use. In a first step, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the oxygen enriched fluid or cosmetic solution  60  is sprayed onto the skin surface  40  by means of a handheld outlet device  26  that is connected to an air compressor  12  via tube  22 . The outlet device  26  incorporates a valve  62  that is configured to control the flow of pressurised air through the nozzle  30 . As the trigger  32  is depressed the valve  62  moves from a first position wherein pressurised air is not allowed to pass to a second position wherein pressurised air is allowed to flow through the internal duct  64  of the outlet device  26  in the direction of arrow  66 .  
         [0037]     The cosmetic solution  60  that contains oxygen is accommodated within the containment means or tank  34 , which is connected to the outlet device  26  by connection means or coupler  70 . The connection means  70  couples with outlet  68  to ensure that there is no leakage of the fluid or cosmetic solution  60  during use. It should however be understood by the reader that the tank or containment means  34  is not confined to that illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The configuration and position of the containment means is not essential to the invention as any type of refillable container that can be pressurised could be used. In preference the container can be removed although a permanent compartment within the outlet device  26  could alternatively be used to accommodate the fluid or cosmetic solution  60 . The cosmetic solution  60  can also contain therapeutic agents. These therapeutic agents can be selected from any substance that has beneficial properties and can include minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulphur, selenium, silica and copper or enzymes such as CoQ10.  
         [0038]     As the pressurised air passes the opening  68  the cosmetic solution  60  accommodated within the containment means  34  is entrained by said pressurised air flowing in the direction of arrow  66  through the nozzle  30  through the well known Venturi effect. The pressurised air now including at least in part the cosmetic solution in suspension then exits the outlet device  26  through aperture  72  in the form of a spray  74 . In this way the cosmetic solution  60  is sprayed  74  onto the skin surface  40  of the patient. The distance between the outlet device  26  and the skin surface  40  will depend on the area that is being treated. However, to effectively cover a treatment area the outlet device  26  should be held in close proximity to the treatment area. This distance may be desirably very small if the treatment area is only of a limited size or if the treatment area is close to an orifice such as the nose or ears.  
         [0039]     The aperture  72  of the nozzle  30  is preferably a single outlet. Alternatively a series of smaller apertures similar to those of a shower rosette could be used. A filter (not shown) could be used to remove any impurities in the cosmetic solution  60 . Accessories (not shown) could also be used to direct the pressurised flow of air. These accessories could be removably attached to the nozzle and thereby constrain the flow of air to a particular profile. This could be useful when specific areas such as the area around the eyes require treatment.  
         [0040]     Once the cosmetic solution  60  has been sprayed ( 74 ) onto the skin surface  40 , the aperture  72  of the outlet device  26  is brought into very close proximity or in contact to the skin surface  40  as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . There the outer skirt  71  of the nozzle  30  sealingly engages an area of skin creating a pressurised chamber. In this position the pressure differential between the chamber and the skin  42  causes at least some of the fluid to forcibly permeate into the skin that by its own structure is quite porous. The cosmetic solution thus invades ( 76 ) the deeper layers of the skin  42  rather than slowly and unreliably infusing. In this way the oxygen and other therapeutic agents contained within the cosmetic solution  60  are more readily and controllably deposited in a location where they can be utilised by the cells in the deeper layers of the skin  42 . After the chamber has been effectively pressurised, the flow of air and thus solution is reduced or even stopped until the tool is removed away from the skin when the solution can be appropriately sprayed again.  
         [0041]     In one aspect the tank or fluid containment means  34  is filled with only enough cosmetic solution  60  to cover one treatment area of skin surface  40 . Once all of the cosmetic solution  60  has been sprayed onto the skin surface  40  and the containment means  34  is empty, any further depression of the trigger  32  will only result in pressurised air flowing out through the nozzle  30  of the outlet device  26 . The user then rests the nozzle against the skin where, even though no fluid flow may occur there is a pressure differential.  
         [0042]     In a further aspect of the invention the containment tank  34  is filled with enough cosmetic solution  60  to cover several treatment area of skin surface  40 . The cosmetic solution  60  is sprayed onto the skin surface  40  in a manner discussed earlier, so that the against the skin surface  40 . The trigger is then depressed to allow the nozzle to be pressurised thereby entraining the cosmetic solution  60  into the deeper layers of the skin  42 . The pressurised air that emanates from the nozzle  30  may contain a proportion of cosmetic solution  60  if indeed there is leakage form the nozzle. With a good seal however, there is no fluid flow and no further fluid is discharged onto the skin resulting in reduced wastage of the solution.  
         [0043]     As the reader would now appreciate the present invention provides a useful method and apparatus for delivering oxygen enriched cosmetic solution into the deep layers of the skin beyond the epidermal layer. The present method does not use gaseous oxygen and therefore avoids its corresponding toxic effects. It also does not use substances containing hydrogen peroxide, chlorate or chlorite oxygen that can also have toxic consequences. The ability to safely force cosmetic solutions into the deeper layers of the skin without the use of needle is also a significant advantage. Oxygen treatments are popular in cosmetic industry today and the present invention provides the public with a method and apparatus that overcomes the limitations of the currently available methods. This non-toxic, non-invasive method of inserting cosmetic solutions containing oxygen and other therapeutic agents into the skin has significant benefits over these currently available methods.  
         [0044]     Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope and spirit of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.