| 摘要 |
The invention provides a non-invasive r.f. current treatment device to be used with an agent or treatment substance (20), such as an ionic salt solution. The substance is transported using an electric field generated by the device, such as in iontophoresis, to move the treatment substance (20) into the skin so that the skin's electrical transmission of the r.f-current is increased. The path of any r.f. current is influenced by the distribution of the treatment substance (20) in the skin. Applying r.f. current causes heating in skin tissues coinciding with the path of the r.f. current, allowing skin tissue to be treated that is either coincident with the r.f. current path or immediately adjacent thereto. The region of skin treated with r.f. current may be the upper tissue layers. This renders superfluous the conventional hydration step necessary for r.f. skin preparation, which is poorly controllable and highly variable depending on the anatomic site and the individual being treated. The lowered skin impedance enables well-defined r.f. delivery to skin tissues, and a high degree of control over the r.f. energy delivery depth profile. The invention also makes it possible to treat deeper layers, using the r.f. current, than traditional techniques due to the high penetration of the treatment substance (20) caused by application of the electric field. |
