• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.353-359
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• 2017

The sonophoresis, a representative low-intensity ultrasonic therapy, is a technique for delivering the drugs into the epidermis, dermis and skin appendages by using physical vibration and heat effects of the ultrasonic waves. Sonophoresis could increases the delivering and absorption efficiency of the drugs usually consisting of hydrophilic molecules and macromolecules. In addition, it has the advantage of being effective in delivering drugs with relatively large molecular sizes such as insulin or lipid. In this study, we proposed a multi-structure ultrasonic transducer assembly with a large-size single piezoelectric element and a drug delivery function at the treatment site for efficient sonophoresis treatment. Futhermore, a transducer assembly structure capable of raising and maintaining the temperature of the treatment site was proposed and evaluated for effectiveness. The transducer assembly proposed in this study is expected to improve the efficiency of sonophoresis by providing a constant amount of drug, and assisting drug delivery through heating the treatment site.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.271-279
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• 2022

Functional cosmetics containing various ingredients that improve skin health are currently being developed. In addition, technologies that help increase the absorption rate of such cosmetics have recently gained significant attention. Sonophoresis is a method to increase the transdermal absorption of cosmetics using ultrasound. A skin-mimicking phantom was fabricated using polydimethylsiloxane, Strat-M^TM membrane, and thermochromic pigments. Gel-type cosmetics used in skin mask packs and epidermal-growth-factor-based nano-cosmetics were tested for their absorption rates at ultrasound frequencies of 1, 3, and 10 MHz in the single frequency mode, and 1/3 and 3/10 MHz in the dual frequency mode. The gel-type cosmetics and epidermal-grow-factor-based nano-cosmetics showed the highest absorption rate at 3/10MHz dual frequency. The size of the cosmetic particles decreased by 5-9 %. Furthermore, the temperature rise caused by ultrasound could be visually recognized by the thermochromic pigment in the phantom turning white. We presented a skin-mimicking phantom. The device can be customized according to the size of the ultrasound probe and has the advantage of quantitatively evaluating the transdermal permeability of cosmetics at a low cost. The development of the skin-mimicking phantom will be useful for determining the suitable conditions required to increase the absorption rate of cosmetics using ultrasound.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.275-283
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• 2023

The demand for skincare has increased due to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a focus on skincare devices and technologies designed to improve the delivery of cosmetics. Among these technologies, skincare medical devices that utilize plasma therapy (Plasma) and sonophoresis (Sono) are commonly used in dermatology clinics. However, there is still a lack of quantitative analysis for transdermal absorption effects of Plasma and Sono skincare medical devices. In this study, we quantified enhanced transdermal absorption effects of Plasma and Sono devices through in-silico and ex-vivo studies. The Sono treatment demonstrated an increased transdermal absorption effect, showing a 10~13% difference in penetration compared to the control group in the in-silico experiment, and 159% and 184% increase in the ex-vivo experiment. The Plasma treatment revealed increased transdermal absorption effects, with a 1.0~2.5% penetration difference in the in-silico experiment, and a 124% increase in the ex-vivo experiment compared to the control group. We also observed a synergistic effect from the combined treatment of Plasma and Sono, as indicated by the highest increases of 197% and 242% in penetration. Furthermore, we have determined the optimal device settings and treatment conditions for Plasma-Sono skincare medical devices. Notably, higher on/off durations (Intensity levels) and longer Sono treatments resulted in greater transdermal absorption effects.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.189-196
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• 2002

Transdermal drug delivery offers an alternative method to the conventional oral and injection delivery method. Its advantages include its ability to deliver drugs directly into systemic circulation. However, there have been restrictions in its application to deliver drugs because of the skin's barrier function. In this study, we try to combine a Sonophoresis and oxygen Pressure method in order to increase the Permeability of the skin. we used water as the compound and by utilizing the skin impedance method. we measured the hydration Permeability of skin Ultrasound was applied using a sonicator(Solcare-U1000. Solco, Korea) operating at a frequency of 1MHz. oxygen Pressure was applied using a compressor(Oxyjet-Pointer, Nora Bode. Germany) operating at a pressure of 2Bar/cm2. Experiment was performed in vivo for 42 People. We divided the subjects into four smaller groups. A different transdermal drug delivery method was applied for each group on the back of their hand. We measured the skin impedance variations on the hand. during a 20-minute time Period. The control group did not show any significant increase or variation of skin impedance to water. In comparison to the control group(Passive diffusion) the hydration Permeability of the ultrasound group and the oxygen Pressure group was approximately 25 and 30 times higher consecutively. Futhermore, the hydration permeability of the combination of ultrasound and oxygen Pressure group was about 70-fold higher in comparison to the control group(passive diffusion) . The results reveal that a combination of ultrasound and oxygen Pressure will significantly enhance transdermal water transport compared when only one of them is used.