Once the domain of beauty professionals, these devices are now being designed for easy portability and use around the home. And in the US market, consumer interest in such devices has never been higher.
"Today’s consumers are so aware of professional techniques and procedures; they want them in their houses," said Dr. Akridge, in an exclusive interview with CosmeticsDesign.com USA. "Usually they don’t have time to go to their skincare professional, they want privacy - think of hair removal - and they want it for less."
Electronic devices that are making an impact in this area target categories such as microdermabrasion, hemical peeling, lasers for both the purpose of hair removal and anti-wrinkle, photodynamic therapies and skin tightening procedures.
HBA Leadership Panel on anti-aging technology
Dr. Akridge will be taking part in the forthcoming Leadership Panel at next week's HBA event. The Panel is entitled Generating the Future in Skin Anti-Aging Technology, which will take place on the first day of the event, from 1pm to 2.15pm and will be moderated by myself, Simon Pitman. For further details please click here.
During the panel discussion Dr. Akridge will explain about what his company does in the field of electronic devices, and will then add to the panel discussion about how technology is playing an increasingly important role in the cosmetics and personal care industry.
Clarisonic, which is owned by Bioscience Laboratories provides a range of electronic devices based on a patented sonic cleansing technology that provides a frequency of 300 moves per second to deep cleanse, soften and smooth the skin's dermal layer, which is claimed to provide younger-looking and more radiant skin.
The company also markets a sonic infusion device, which targets the under-eye area, providing a massaging effect that gently taps the skin at a rate of 7,500 times per minute, while also infusing an anti-aging serum with the aim of reducing fine lines and pufiness.
The all-important efficacy and safety testing
Dr. Akridge is also VP of clinical affairs at the company, and has been closely involved with the implementation of in-house clinical study to prove the all-important efficacy and safety of the devices the company markets.
"Technology is definitely helping to improve the efficacy and safety. Whenever you develop any product safety comes first; efficacy second," Dr. Akridge said.
He explained that many of the electronic cosmetic devices on sale in the public domain have been converted from technology that has been used in the professional beauty of medical fields, which means that, beyond miniaturazation, the products also have to be designed to incorporate built-in safety features.
Technology has to be adapted for cosmetic and home-use
In particular he has been involved with graduating the technology from the dental category, which it was originally developed for, into the cosmetic category.
"In the case of sonic technology, the key technological shift that helped it go from the dental world to the cosmetic world, was the development of a unique softer and non-porous filament material," said Dr. Akridge.
"Once the filament material was selected, it was the customization of an end rounding process of those bristles which allowed the bristles to glide across the skin while cleansing it at sonic rate."