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Dr. Gold
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NATIONAL REPORT — A transdermal delivery system that combines dermabrasion and iontophoresis (Transderm Ionto; Mattioli Engineering Corp.) could revolutionize delivery of many dermatologic treatments, experts say. However, they add, first it must overcome technical and commercial hurdles.
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Dr. McDaniel
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SKIN SUPER BOWL "If one could deliver Botox [botulinum toxin A; Allergan] fast enough and without needles, that's like winning the Super Bowl" of dermatologic applications, says Michael H. Gold, M.D., medical director at Gold Skin Care Center, Advanced Aesthetics Medi Spa, The Laser and Rejuvenation Center, and the Tennessee Clinical Research Center, and clinical assistant professor, Division of Dermatology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and School of Nursing, Nashville. "The Transderm Ionto System is the only transdermal delivery device that's Food And Drug Administration [FDA] approved as an alternative to injections," and the only such device that can deliver heavy molecules such as botulinum toxin and hyaluronic acid, Lindsey Donlan, Mattioli's U.S. sales and marketing manager, tells Cosmetic Surgery Times.
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Microdermabrasion coupled with electrical pulses serve to increase delivery rate of solutions through the skin, say the devices developers.(Chart credit: Mattioli Engineering Corp.)
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That's important because "Some of the proteins and peptides that are on the horizon for anti-aging, as well as genetically engineered products, are fairly big, clunky molecules," adds David H. McDaniel, M.D., director of the Laser Skin & Vein Center of Virginia in Virginia Beach, Va. He states that if one can enhance the skin's permeability, "One can deliver larger proteins that won't go in" without injections.
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Dr. Carruthers
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The system uses a proprietary process called dermoelectroporation, a combination of iontophoresis and electroporation that directly follows microdermabrasion, Ms. Donlan says. "The solution flows from our Super Precision Liquid Dispenser (PLD) onto one of two separate probes"— the Ionto, a square probe containing nine electrodes used for larger body areas, or the smaller circular Ionto Lips, she explains.
"When the probe is on," adds Ms. Donlan, "the electrical pulses drive the solution into the skin. Since we do microdermabrasion prior, there's about a five times greater delivery rate of the solution" versus topicals.
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