Skin care and treatment device!

Taiwan researchers invent 'cosmetic chip' to detect skin problems 2011/07/23 22:17:48 Taipei, July 23 (CNA) Researchers from the National Chiao Tung University have developed a "cosmetic chip" device that can detect skin problems and gauge the effects of skin care products. The device, which utilizes light-based photoplethysmography (PPG) technology, helps determine skin conditions through the use of an infrared light, said Huang Sheng-chieh, head of the research team. It measures the amount of light that is reflected from small blood vessels in the skin to a light sensor, he said. The sensor, pressed against the user's skin, records the amplitude of the reflected light wave, which is then transmitted to a computer database for analysis. The smaller the variations in the amplitude of the light wave, the better and healthier the skin, as it means that nutrients are spread more evenly across the small blood vessels under the skin, Huang said. As the chip allows people to measure the changes on their skin, it would, therefore, allow them to gauge the effects of their skin care products and whether a certain product is suitable for them, the professor said. Huang and researchers from the biomedical system-on-chip research laboratory under the university's electrical engineering department worked with dermatologist over a period of six years to develop the device. He said more than 20,000 people have already used the device to test their skin conditions. He told CNA on Saturday that the inspiration for the invention came from his 87 year-old grandmother who cared little about her body pains, but made great efforts to keep her skin in good repair. He said his grandmother helped him realize the importance of skin care, regardless of age. It also motivated him to think about how integrated circuit technology can be used to develop devices that are "closely related to people's everyday lives" and can point to a new path for Taiwan's IC industry, he said. The current goal of the team is to make the chip device smaller and more refined so that it can fit into popular and portable devices such as mobile phones and MP3 players, the professor said. The ultimate goal is to make the chip available to everyone at a low cost, he added. Huang said that his team, which comprises doctors specializing in Chinese medicine, is also expanding its database so that Chinese medical views about the body and its circulatory system can also be provided to skin patients through the device. "It is like taking the pulse in Chinese medicine, just that instead of having one's pulse taken by doctors who depend on their experience, it will be done through a standardized chip," Huang said. The professor also said that his team is working to improve the therapeutic functions of the chip. He said the device is equipped with light emitting diodes (LEDs) that can emit red, blue and other lights that have been found to have a therapeutic effect on the skin. "Hopefully in the future people will be able to maintain their skin while talking on the phone," he said. Huang said his team has chosen light therapy over other forms of skin treatment such as laser, intense pulsed light and mesotherapy, because of its is non-invasive, painless and easily accessible.