Physical (Energy)-based Noninvasive Skin Care Technology Under Development
The latest development in noninvasive light and radio frequency therapy market is the rise of hand-held technologies that can be administered in the home. Companies marketing these kind of technologies include a partnership between Cynosure and Unilever and Palomar Medical Technologies. Several companies already see the potential of developing professional energy based treatments for home use. Both Procter and Gamble and L’Oreal taken on the market releasing light and laser based treatments for both hair removal and wrinkle reduction. Furthermore, the market development gets a mention in the upcoming HBA trade show’s conference programme, when home-based laser and light systems, and the potential for formulating complimentary skin care products will be discussed.
A patented, home-use ELOS technologyis under development by the collaboration of P&G and Syneron (an Israel based company) for “mass commercialization of energy-based, home-use devices that creating significant value.” Basically, the technology combines energy from bi-polar radio frequency and light sources and use them simultaneously to treat aging skin. The elos technology is said to penetrate the dermal layer deeper than similar IPL(intense pulse light technology) and to overcome the safety and operating limitations that other IPL therapies have had to be carried out by professionals.
Plasma skin resurfacing is one of the more interesting developments in facial rejuvenation. It has been developed as an alternative to the classic ablative laser resurfacing (typically done with a CO2 or Erbium laser) where some of your skin is literally burnt off. Ablative resurfacing has many drawbacks, including the risk of infection, scarring, at least two weeks of down time, and so-forth. Yet it remains widely used, mainly because its results, especially in wrinkle reduction, tend to be a lot better than those of noninvasive techniques. Hence researchers are looking for new resurfacing alternatives that are as effective as ablative lasers but with fewer shortcomings. Plasma skin resurfacing appears to be the leading contender.
