Jan 21, 2016 | By Alec
If there’s one thing that’s truly universal, it’s aging. It comes for all of us, and its first sign is usually wrinkles that form around the eyes, crow’s feet and bags. While men pretend to be unconcerned about it, the beauty industry is constantly bombarding women with expensive part-time cures. But if you want to avoid Botox needles, a new Welsh innovation that simply seeks to encourage natural skin filling actions might be just the cure. Called Radara, these are patches that can be placed around the eyes and are filled with painless 3D printed micro-needles that encourage the production of collagen in the skin. Could this be the anti-aging innovation people are waiting for?
According to the Welsh dermatological experts Innoture, these Radara patches are completely unlike other commonly used approaches, such as Botox and derma-rolling. They are essentially crescent-shaped eyepatches that leave no marks on the skin, and are already presented by some beauty experts as the best innovation to come along since Botox. So how do they work? Essentially, these Radara patches mimic the more commonly used micro-needling technique. This technique is generally used to speed up transdermal delivery of substances. “Nicotine and hormone replacement patches or simple topically applied lotions are widely used examples. The active pharmaceutical ingredient – or API – is held close to the skin and through natural or aided diffusion travels across the barrier deeper into the skin or even into the blood stream over time,” Innoture explains. Micro-needling is essentially a technique that involves coating the surface touching the skin with very small pins that puncture the outer layer of dead skin, creating channels through which the active substance can be passed through.
However, 3D printing in a medical-grade polymer (with qualities similar to flexible foam plastics) has enabled Innoture to make the spikes much finer than those that are commonly used. In fact, they can hardly be seen by the naked eye. This ensures that no visible marks are left, unlike the Derma Rollers which result in a red field of holes and require at least a day of recovery. These Radara patches, in contrast, are covered with 2,000 microscopic 3D printed needles, each less than half a millimeter in length.
But the real magic is in stimulating the natural skin rejuvenation processes. As cosmetics expert Dr Benji Dhillon from PHI in London’s prestigious Harley Street told the Daily Mail, Botox actually doesn’t do anything to rejuvenate the skin. “Where Botox freezes muscles to smooth out dynamic wrinkles caused by movement, Radara acts on static wrinkles - those that stay etched on your face even when it’s relaxed and expression- free,” he says. “The only other way to do that is with fillers, that plump up and disguise the furrows, or moisturizers. Then there are clinical procedures such as chemical peels, lasers and micro-needling, but these can all involve pain, red, scaly skin, trips to the clinic and downtime while skin recovers.”
Before and after results.
But these special 3D printed micro-needling patches avoid the negative consequences while giving the desired response. “Micro-needling works by creating micro injuries in the skin, which triggers an inflammatory response,” says Dr Maryam Zamani from London’s Cadogan Clinic. “The injuries stimulate new collagen production as skin begins the healing process. So within a few months, lines and wrinkles can be filled out, giving a smoother, younger look.” Elastin production is also encouraged, and together the skin is given a lot more firmness and shape. The Radara patches are further covered in hyaluronic acid serum, a substance produced in the body to moisturize and protect skin tissue.
So far, the test results for these 3D printed patches are promising. A clinical trial showed that lines and wrinkles were reduced by 35 per cent in four weeks. What’s more, the patches only need to be placed on the skin for a few minutes to create the micro-channels, so they’re easy to use. The results remain visible for a few weeks. In short, these 3D printed patches are not a miracle product, but it certainly seems to do the job without resorting to poisons. But like all new products, it is expensive, with the recommended price being £240 for a four-week supply (or approximately $340 USD).
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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