Patent Application
20130184513
The present invention relates to a skin care method and a skin care device that suppress an increase in sebum of the skin.
Recently, people's awareness of beauty has been increasing, and, regardless of men and women, the needs for beautiful skin in which pores of the human face are not conspicuous have been increasing. Sebum on the skin surface enters pores, and peroxides produced by oxidation of the sebum accumulate in the pores. Consequently, the pores are opened and become conspicuous.
PTL 1 discloses a skin care method, the method including applying an adhesive sheet onto the face, and physically peeling off peroxides that have accumulated in pores of the skin. PTL 2 discloses a skin care method, the method including applying a cleansing pack onto the face so as to allow peroxides in pores of the skin to adsorb to the cleansing pack, and washing the peroxides away.
However, according to the skin care method disclosed in PTL 1, the keratin layer, which is an indispensable layer of the skin, is also peeled off because the sheet closely adheres to the skin. This causes a problem in that a large stress is applied to the skin. According to the skin care method disclosed in PTL 2, the cleansing pack is washed away after the application thereof, thus taking time and causing problems in terms of convenience.
An object of the present invention is to provide a skin care method and a skin care device, the method and the device being capable of suppressing the conspicuousness of pores while the stress on the skin is low and an increase in sebum is easily suppressed.
In order to achieve the above object, the skin care method of the present invention using a closed-bottomed casing having an open surface and an ion generating unit in which discharge is generated by applying a high voltage to generate positive ions and negative ions in the casing includes driving the ion generating unit while the open surface is closed by a skin surface to seal the inside of the casing, and bringing ions generated in the ion generating unit into contact with the skin surface.
With this structure, the open surface of the casing is closed by a skin surface, and the casing is filled with the positive ions and the negative ions generated in the ion generating unit. The positive ions and the negative ions contact the skin surface, and active species generated by the ions also contact the skin surface. Accordingly, an increase in sebum on the skin surface is suppressed and Staphylococcus aureus on the skin surface is decomposed.
In the skin care method according to the present invention, the positive ions may be represented by H+(H2O)m (where m is any natural number) and the negative ions may be represented by O2−(H2O)n (where n is any natural number). With this structure, H+(H2O)m and O2−(H2O)n generated in the ion generating unit chemically react with each other to generate active species of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and a hydroxyl radical (.OH), which have a high oxidizing power.
In the skin care method according to the present invention, the ions may be allowed to naturally diffuse in the casing.
In the skin care method according to the present invention, the ions may be generated while the skin surface is warmed. With this structure, pores are opened by warming the skin surface to suppress an increase in sebum in the pores.
A skin care device according to the present invention includes a closed-bottomed casing having an open surface, and an ion generating unit in which discharge is generated by applying a high voltage to generate positive ions and negative ions in the casing, wherein ions are generated from the ion generating unit which is driven while the inside of the casing is sealed by closing the open surface with a skin surface to bring the ions into contact with the skin surface.
With this structure, the open surface of the casing is closed by the skin surface, and the casing is filled with the positive ions and the negative ions generated in the ion generating unit. The positive ions and the negative ions contact the skin surface, and active species generated by the ions also contact the skin surface. Accordingly, an increase in sebum on the skin surface is suppressed and Staphylococcus aureus on the skin surface is decomposed.
In the skin care device according to the present invention, the positive ions may be represented by H+(H2O)m (where m is any natural number) and the negative ions may be represented by O2−(H2O)n (where n is any natural number).
In the skin care device according to the present invention, the ions may be allowed to naturally diffuse in the casing. With this structure, blowing with a fan or the like is not conducted in the casing and thus drying of the skin surface and the eyes can be prevented.
The skin care device according to the present invention may further include a warming device that warms the skin surface that contacts the ions. With this structure, the skin surface is warmed by the warming device to open pores, and an increase in sebum in the pores is suppressed.
In the skin care device according to the present invention, the casing may have a shape of a mask that covers a human face, and the warming device may be arranged along a forehead portion and a nose portion of the face. With this structure, pores in the forehead and nose portions are opened to suppress an increase in sebum in the pores.
In the skin care device according to the present invention, the casing may have a cup shape, and a peripheral edge of the open surface may be pressed onto the skin surface by holding the casing. With this structure, the peripheral edge of the open surface is pressed onto the skin surface such as the face by holding the cup-shaped casing.
In the skin care device according to the present invention, the casing may have a shape of a mask that covers a human face, and packing may be provided around a peripheral edge of the open surface. With this structure, the packing is fitted to the face to close the open surface of the mask-shaped casing.
According to the present invention, since positive ions and negative ions are generated and brought into contact with a skin surface while an open surface of a casing is closed by the skin surface, the conspicuousness of pores can be suppressed while the stress on the skin is low and an increase in sebum is easily suppressed. Furthermore, active species generated by the ions decompose Staphylococcus aureus on the skin surface, thus preventing skin roughening.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.
A heater 6 and an ion generating unit 10 to which electric power is supplied through a power cord 5 are attached to the casing 2. The heater 6 is formed of a glass tube heater or the like arranged in the casing 2, and generates heat of up to about 50° C. so as to prevent scalding. The heater 6 constitutes a warming device that warms the skin surface closing the open surface 2a.
One of the high-voltage power supplies 13 connected to the discharge electrode 11a generates a positive high pulse voltage (for example, at a frequency of 60 Hz and a peak voltage of about 2 kV). The other high-voltage power supply 13 connected to the discharge electrode 11b generates a negative high pulse voltage (for example, at a frequency of 60 Hz and a peak voltage of about 2 kV). With this structure, electric discharge occurs between a tip of the discharge electrode 11a and the counter electrode 12a and between a tip of the discharge electrode 11b and the counter electrode 12b, thus generating plasma. Molecules of oxygen (O2), water (H2O), etc. in the air receive energy from the generated plasma.
In the case where the applied voltage is a positive voltage, water molecules in the air are ionized to generate hydrogen ions (H+). The hydrogen ions form clusters with water molecules in the air by solvation energy, and positive ions represented by H+(H2O)m (where m is any natural number) are mainly generated. The positive ions are released from the release hole 14a in which the discharge electrode 11a is arranged.
In the case where the applied voltage is a negative voltage, oxygen molecules or water molecules in the air are ionized to generate oxygen ions O2−. The oxygen ions form clusters with water molecules in the air by solvation energy, and negative ions represented by O2−(H2O)n (where n is any natural number) are mainly generated. The negative ions are released from the release hole 14b in which the discharge electrode 11b is arranged.
In this case, it is necessary to provide energy of at least 5.12 eV, which is the formation energy of a hydrogen ion (H+), by applying a positive voltage. It is necessary to provide energy of at least 0.44 eV, which is the formation energy of an oxygen ion (O2−), by applying a negative voltage. On the other hand, the formation energy of nitrogen oxide ions (such as NO2− and NO3−), which are generated from nitrogen in the air and harmful to the human body, is 9.76 eV. Therefore, it is necessary to apply a voltage lower than the voltage that provides an energy of 9.76 eV. The formation energy of ozone (O3) is 5.12 eV. With an increase in the energy, the amount of ozone generated also increases.
Accordingly, the positive voltage applied to the discharge electrode 11a is set to a voltage that provides energy of 5.12 eV or more and close to 5.12 eV. The negative voltage applied to the discharge electrode 11b can be set to a voltage that provides energy of 5.12 eV or more and close to 5.12 eV as in the case of the positive voltage. The negative voltage is more preferably set to a voltage that provides energy of 0.44 eV or more and less than 5.12 eV. In this case, H+(H2O)m and O2−(H2O)m can be mainly generated while suppressing the generation of nitrogen oxides and ozone harmless to the human body.
As shown in formulae (1) to (3), H+(H2O)m and O2−(H2O)n generate a hydroxyl radical (—OH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which are active species having a high oxidizing power, in the air by collision. Herein, m′ and n′ are each any natural number. The active species such as a hydroxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide decompose Staphylococcus aureus.
H+(H2O)m+O2−(H2O)n→.OH+1/2O2+(m+n)H2O (1)
H+(H2O)m+H+(H2O)m′+O2−(H2O)n+O2−(H2O)n′→2.OH+O2+(m+m′+n+n′)H2O (2)
H+(H2O)+H+(H2O)m′+O2−(H2O)n+O2−(H2O)n′→H2O2+O2+(m+m′+n+n′)H2O (3)
Alternatively, as illustrated in
Referring to the figure, in the case where no ions were generated, after eight hours passed from the start of the test, the rate of increase in the amount of sebum was 150% or more. In contrast, in the case where the ions were generated, after eight hours passed from the start of the test, the rate of increase in the amount of sebum was suppressed to about 50%. Thus, an increase in sebum can be suppressed by emitting the positive ions and the negative ions toward the skin surface. Note that, in the figure, symbols [**] and [*] represent the p-value in a statistical test, and respectively represent p<0.01 and p<0.05.
In this test, 15 subjects stayed in the room having an area corresponding to 6 tatami-mats (floor area: 9.8 m2) where a temperature of 26° C. to 28° C. and a humidity of 40% to 60% were maintained. In the figure, A2 shows the results when the ions were generated such that the concentration of the positive ions and the concentration of the negative ions were each 100,000/cm3 in the vicinity of the faces of the subjects. For comparison, the results when no ions were generated are shown by B2 in the figure.
Referring to the figure, in the case where no ions were generated, the number of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria increased after 4 hours and 8 hours from the start of the test. In contrast, in the case where the ions were generated, the number of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria decreased after 4 hours and 8 hours from the start of the test. Thus, by emitting the positive ions and the negative ions toward the skin surface, active species generated from the ions can decompose Staphylococcus aureus to suppress the proliferation of Staphylococcus aureus.
In this test, a change in the number of Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria was also examined. According to the results, there was no difference in the number of bacteria between the case where ions were generated and the case where no ions were generated. It was demonstrated that Staphylococcus epidermidis, which is believed to be a beneficial bacterium that prevents pathogenic bacteria from entering the body, is not affected by the influence of the ions.
The test results shown in
In step #12, whether or not warming with the heater 6 is set to be performed is determined. In the case where warming is set not to be performed, the process advances to step #14. In the case where warming is set to be performed, the heater 6 is driven in step #13. Accordingly, pores on the skin surface are opened, and an increase in sebum in the pores is suppressed.
In step #14, whether or not an operation of stopping the operation has been performed is determined. In the case where the operation of stopping the operation has not been performed, the process advances to step #15 and whether a predetermined time (for example, 15 minutes) has passed or not is determined. In the case where the predetermined time has not passed, steps #14 and #15 are repeated. In the case where the operation of stopping the operation has been performed or the predetermined time has passed, the process advances to step #16 and the heater 6 is stopped. In step #17, the ion generating unit 10 is stopped to finish the operation of the skin care device 1.
According to the present embodiment, since positive ions and negative ions are generated and brought into contact with a skin surface while the open surface 2a of the casing 2 is closed by the skin surface, the conspicuousness of pores can be suppressed while the stress on the skin is low and an increase in sebum is easily suppressed. Furthermore, active species generated by the ions decompose Staphylococcus aureus on the skin surface, thus preventing skin roughening. Accordingly, an effect of skin care can be easily achieved by pressing the casing 2 on a desired position of the skin surface.
Furthermore, since the positive ions are ions represented by H+(H2O)m and the negative ions are ions represented by 02−(H2O)n (where m and n are each any natural number), an increase in sebum on the skin surface can be reliably suppressed and Staphylococcus aureus can be decomposed.
Furthermore, since the ions are allowed to naturally diffuse in the casing 2, blowing with a fan or the like is not conducted and thus drying of the skin surface can be prevented.
Furthermore, since the heater 6 (warming device) that warms the skin surface, which contacts ions, is provided, pores are opened to suppress an increase in sebum in the pores.
Furthermore, since the casing has a cup shape and a peripheral edge of the open surface is pressed onto the skin surface by holding the casing, an effect of skin care can be achieved by easily bringing ions into contact with the skin surface.
Next,
A heater 6 is arranged on the inner surface of the casing 3. The heater 6 is arranged so as to have a T-letter shape having a forehead portion 6a facing the forehead of the user and extending in the horizontal direction and a nose portion 6b facing the nose and extending in the vertical direction. Driving of the heater 6 opens pores over the entire face, mainly in a forehead portion and a nose portion where the amount of secretion of sebum is large. The heater 6 is formed by, for example, being applied onto the inner surface of the casing 3 or being embedded in the casing 3. The heater 6 may be a film-shaped heating element, a line-shaped heating element covered with a silicone rubber film, or the like.
An ion generating unit 10 that is similar to that of the first embodiment is arranged on a front portion of the belt 7 and generates positive ions and negative ions. Thus, ions N naturally diffuse in the casing 3 and fill the casing 3. The positive ions and the negative ions contact the skin surface, and active species generated by the ions also contact the skin surface. Thus, an increase in sebum is suppressed and Staphylococcus aureus is decomposed.
According to the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, since positive ions and negative ions are generated and brought into contact with a skin surface while the open surface 3a of the casing 3 is closed by the skin surface, the conspicuousness of pores can be suppressed while the stress on the skin is low and an increase in sebum is easily suppressed. Furthermore, active species generated by the ions decompose Staphylococcus aureus on the skin surface, thus preventing skin roughening. Accordingly, an effect of skin care can be easily achieved by wearing the casing 3 on the face F.
Furthermore, since the ions are allowed to naturally diffuse in the casing 3, blowing with a fan or the like is not conducted and thus drying of the skin surface and the eyes can be prevented.
Furthermore, since the casing 3 has a shape of a mask that covers a human face and the packing 4 is provided around a peripheral edge of the open surface 3a, the inside of the casing 3 is easily sealed and ions can be brought into contact with the entire face.
Furthermore, since the heater 6 is arranged along a forehead portion and a nose portion of the face F, pores in areas where the amount of secretion of sebum is large are opened, thereby further improving the effect of skin care.
The present invention can be applied to a skin care device for suppressing an increase in sebum of the skin.
1 skin care device
2,3 casing
2
a,
3
a open surface
4 packing
6 heater
7 belt
10 ion generating unit
11
a,
11
b discharge electrode
12
a,
12
b counter electrode
13 high-voltage power supply
14 body case
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-266622 | Nov 2010 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2011/070802 | 9/13/2011 | WO | 00 | 3/18/2013 |
