Electrolysis Needle

Abstract

An electrolysis needle having a thin dielectric coating deposited over the entire penetrating tip portion and the lower portion of the shank of the needle and then partially removed adjacent the tip of the needle to prevent electric shock or burning of the epidermis with resultant elimination of pain to the patient.

Description

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in electrolysis needles of the type used to remove hair.

The present electrolysis needles usually terminate in an elongated, very thin tip portion which is inserted into and through the epidermis and dermis of the patient along side a hair follicle in the dermis. After the needle tip reaches the follicle in the dermis, high voltage electric or electromagnetic radiation current is caused to pass through the needle to eliminate the hair by destroying the hair follicle or the blood supply to the hair follicle. The use of electrolysis needles of this type is limited in that along with the destruction of the hair follicle or the blood supply to the hair follicle there is a simultaneous electric shock and burning of the epidermis of the patient together with a substantial amount of pain to the patient. The present invention eliminates this detrimental effect of pain and scarring of the epidermis of the patient by providing an electrolysis needle in which the surface of the needle within the epidermis layer of the skin during passage of electric current through the needle is electrically insulated from the epidermis layer of the skin so that the epidermis layer is not burned and the patient does not feel any electric shock or pain. The reason for lack of pain to the patient is that no pain fibers of the sensory nervous system are found below the epidermis layer of the skin. The dermis layer, where the hair follicles exist and which receives the electric shock from the needle, are free of pain fibers of the sensory nerves.

With the foregoing in mind a primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel electrolysis needle in which the portion of the needle in contact with the epidermis layer of the patient's skin is insulated from the epidermis layer of the patient's skin and its sensory pain fibers so that during passage of electric current through the needle the patient does not receive any sensation of pain from the electric shock and the epidermis layer of the skin is not burned. Consequently, the operator or physician need not instill an anesthetic solution to eliminate pain.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel electrolysis needle provided with an extremely thin coating of dielectric material over the entire penetrating surface of the needle except for the extreme tip end portion of the needle, which coating layer does not interfere with insertion of the needle into and through the skin of the patient but does provide electrical insulation between the epidermis layer of the patient's skin and the metallic portion of the needle.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel electrolysis needle having the features and characteristics set forth above which may be manufactured easily and cheaply.

These and other objects of the present invention and the various features and details of the operation and construction thereof are hereinafter more fully set forth and described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an electrolysis needle and needle holder;

FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary side elevational view partially in section of the penetrating tip end of the electrolysis needle of the present invention coated with a suitable dielectric material;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 2 with the dielectric material removed from a portion of the tip of the needle and the needle in condition ready for use; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 4--4, FIG. 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, in FIG. 1 there is shown a conventional electrolysis instrument 10 connected to a suitable source of electric power or radiant energy to destroy the hair follicle or blood supply to the hair follicle. An electrolysis needle 11 is removably secured to the instrument by the chuck portion 12 of the instrument. In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the needle 11 is illustrated as having an enlarged rearward shank 13 received within the chuck 12 and a slender, sharpened penetrating end portion 14 formed integrally with the shank. In the illustrated form of the present invention, the shank 13 is bent as illustrated to place the sharpened penetrating end portion 14 in a convenient position for use. It will be understood, however, that the needle 11 and instrument 10 can be of any convenient form and shape.

In use, the sharpened penetrating end portion 14 of the needle is inserted through the epidermis layer of the skin of the patient and along the axis of the hair follicle to be destroyed into the dermis layer of the skin. After the needle is in position, the desired high voltage low current source of power or radiant energy is supplied to the needle to destroy the hair follicle or blood supply to the hair follicle. The sharpened penetrating end portion 14 of the needle is approximately 7 millimeters long and is normally less than one-half millimeter in diameter at its thickest portion. The portion of the needle is inserted for substantially its entire length along or adjacent the axis of the hair to be destroyed.

In accordance with the present invention means are provided to insulate the needle from the epidermis layer of the skin of the patient to prevent shock and burning of the epidermis layer of skin and to eliminate pain to the patient. This is accomplished in the present invention by providing a continuous, thin layer of dielectric coating material 15 over the entire surface of the sharpened penetrating end portion 14 of the needle and over at least the lower portion of the shank 13 of the needle. The coating 15 terminates short of the point at which the shank enters the chuck 12, as shown in FIG. 1, to permit good contact between the instrument and the needle. However, to permit the electric current to reach the base of the hair follicle to destroy the hair follicle or blood supply to the hair follicle the coating material 15 is scratched away or removed from a portion of the extreme tip of the needle as indicated at 16 in FIG. 3. Thus, when electric current is supplied to the needle the current does not shock or burn the epidermis layer of the patient's skin but is concentrated at the base of the hair follicle in the dermis.

The layer of coating material must be extremely thin and uniform so that it does not interfere with penetration of the needle into and through the patient's skin. Also, the coating material must be a relatively inert non-metallic material such as nylon to provide the desired insulation. In addition to nylon, other polyamides may be used along with materials such as Teflon, Kel-F, and Kortrel. Preferably, the coating is applied to the needle by the conventional sputtering process. The needles are supported, for example, in a styrofoam base by having their rearward shank portions forced into the styrofoam base to prevent this portion from being coated and the needles are then placed with the coating material in a vacuum chamber which contains a minute quantity of argon or other inert gas. The coating material is given a negative charge and the needles are given a positive charge. The argon molecules will move at a high speed and strike the coating material and knock atoms off of its surface. These atoms are attracted to the positively charged needles and uniformly coat the unprotected portion of the needles including the penetrating end portions with the coating material. After the desired quantity of coating material is deposited on the needles, the needles are removed from the vacuum chamber and the extreme tip end portions of the needles are scratched with any desired instrument to remove a small quantity of the coating material as illustrated in FIG. 3. The needles may then be sterilized and packaged in the usual manner.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that the present invention provides a novel electrolysis needle which, when in use, is effectively insulated from the epidermis layer of the patient's skin so that the patient does not receive a shock or burning of the epidermis layer of skin with the result that pain to the patient is substantially eliminated. Additionally, when using the electrolysis needle of the present invention, anesthesia need not be used on the surface of the skin or injected subcutaneously into the epidermis and wider areas of the skin can be treated at a single sitting than with conventional needles since there is no electric shock, burning or pain to the epidermis layer of the skin of the patient. The operator can feel more at ease when treating the patient. Cosmetically, no scarring or scabbing occurs on the surface of the patient's skin and no evidence is seen externally of the process of electrolysis having been performed on the patient. Utilizing a conventional electrolysis needle the skin requires about 10 days to heal completely, while with the needle of the present invention a bleb or wheal forms on the surface of the skin which disappears in approximately 20 minutes without medication.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an electrolysis needle which performs efficiently and effectively with a minimum of discomfort to the patient.

Claims

I claim:

1. An electrolysis needle adapted to be inserted through the epidermis layer of skin of a patient and into the dermis layer of skin along a hair follicle to destroy the hair follicle by electrolysis, said electrolysis needle including a shank having a rearward end portion for insertion into a needle holder and a forward end portion, a thin elongated needle tip portion formed integrally with the forward end of the shank and terminating in a sharpened end, the elongated needle tip portion being of a length to extend completely through the epidermis layer of the skin and into the dermis layer, and a uniform thin coating of dielectric material over the forward end portion of the shank and over the elongated needle tip portion of the electrolysis needle from the forward end portion of the shank toward the sharpened end a distance at least as long as the distance of said required length to extend through the epidermis layer of the skin of a patient, said dielectric coating terminating short of said sharpened end of said elongated needle tip portion.

2. An electrolysis needle as claimed in claim 1 in which the coating is a coating of a vaporized non-metallic dielectric material.