Arc-poration improves transdermal delivery of biomolecules.

Background: To increase skin permeability, various transdermal delivery techniques have been developed. However, due to the stratum corneum as a skin barrier, transdermal delivery remains limited.

Aims: In this study, we evaluated efficacy and safety of arc-poration as a novel technique disrupting the stratum corneum.

Results: Optical images and histological analysis using reconstituted human skin and porcine skin showed that the treatment of arc-poration created micropores with an average diameter of approximately 100 μm only to the depth of the stratum corneum, but not viable epidermis. In addition, the Franz diffusion cell experiment using reconstituted human skin showed a remarkable increase in permeability following pretreatment with arc-poration. Clinical results clearly demonstrated the enhancement of the skin-improving effect of cosmetics by pretreatment of arc-poration in terms of gloss, hydration, flakiness, texture, tone, tone evenness, and pigmentation of skin, without causing abnormal skin responses. The concentration of ozone and nitrogen oxides generated by arc-poration was below the permissible value for the human body.

Conclusions: Arc-poration can increase skin permeability by creating stratum corneum-specific micropores, which can enhance the skin-improving effect of cosmetics without adverse responses.