Discover the Must-Try
‘Needle-Free’ Procedures
in Korea

The limitations of topical skincare products may pose a dilemma that skin experts inevitably face at some point. No matter how outstanding the efficacy and technological prowess of skincare products may be, simply applying them may not penetrate the robust skin barrier to reach deeper layers of the skin, making it difficult to experience the dramatic skin-improving effects as expected.

However, it's too early to give up. Various attempts are being made to overcome such limitations and increase the absorption rate of effective ingredients into the skin more effectively without causing irritation or damage. In the medical field, for example, effective ingredients are directly injected into the skin, while in aesthetics, physical stimulation using microneedles, electrical stimulation, chemical exfoliation to break down the stratum corneum, or formulation approaches that adjust the molecular size or shape of active ingredients in skincare products are utilized.

Of course, directly injecting effective ingredients into the targeted skin layer is the most certain and efficient method. However, in principle, this method is not only impractical in aesthetics but also comes with risks such as wounds, pain, and other discomforts.

In aesthetics, innovative beauty technologies are being utilized to open channels within the skin to penetrate effective ingredients or deliver them precisely to areas resembling the structure of the skin and where they are needed, thus evolving toward a future-oriented system.

This direction of development repeatedly advances, using needle-free skincare systems, which can penetrate effective ingredients deep into the skin layers similar to using needles, without experiencing discomfort such as wounds, pain, or heat damage, which is the biggest merit of "needle-free skincare."

Electroporation

The method known as "electroporation" is used to temporarily disrupt the structure of the cell membrane by applying short, intense pulses of electricity to the skin, thereby opening microchannels into the cells and greatly enhancing the penetration of active ingredients for skin improvement. The cell membrane, which surrounds cells including the surface of the stratum corneum, is covered with lipid components.

By applying a greater electrical stimulus than the force of interaction between these lipid components, their structure is altered. In this process, rather than smoothly and gradually flowing, the electricity flows repetitively in a pulsating manner, creating temporary gaps, akin to a heartbeat, through which active ingredients can be delivered.

When this electrical stimulation ceases, the cell membrane returns to its original structure, allowing the penetrated substances to remain in place and exert their beneficial effects within the cell. Therefore, compared to iontophoresis, which operates by pushing substances away through ionization, electroporation can penetrate substances with various compositions, molecular sizes, and forms, resulting in higher practical utility. Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated significantly higher absorption rates of active ingredients, leading to faster skin improvement effects within a short period.

Sonophoresis

Using the vibrational energy of ultrasound, a method to enhance the skin penetration of active ingredients typically utilizes low-frequency ultrasound, usually in the range of about 1 to 3MHz. This allows penetration of substances with relatively large molecular weights or those that are not ionized into deeper layers of the skin. Ultrasound, with frequencies that are difficult for us to detect, generates powerful vibrations when electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy, vigorously agitating substances.

According to current understanding, the principle behind increased skin absorption of active ingredients through sonophoresis is attributed to cavitation, a phenomenon where bubbles are formed by reducing pressure within a liquid, and when these bubbles collapse, they release strong energy. This mechanical stress increases the permeability of the cell membrane, facilitating the penetration of active ingredients. Additionally, the conversion of vibrational energy into heat energy due to molecular friction leads to a slight increase in temperature in deeper tissues, thereby promoting blood circulation and metabolism, which in turn can accelerate epidermal absorption.

Drone Technology

This is a dermal absorption enhancement method designed not only to simply penetrate active ingredients deeply but also to deliver them most efficiently to specific target cells through a pharmaceutically engineered approach. Originally developed in the field of medical procedures to effectively deliver the required amount of medication to target tissues, this technique, known as Drug Delivery System (DDS), has been applied to the cosmetic industry, revolutionizing the absorption rate of active ingredients in cosmetics. It easily overcomes obstacles hindering skin absorption during the process of reaching the target cells, allowing for precise and rapid transportation to the desired target cells without additional irritation or damage, thus achieving more effective results.

As a result, it is actively being used for purposes such as brightening, anti-aging, and slimming care. It primarily utilizes encapsulated forms of ingredients that can chemically bind to target cells. Ligand peptides, which bind to specific receptors on the cell surface, are included in the capsule shell, while the interior contains strategically combined specific active ingredients tailored to the purpose. In other words, the ligand peptides actively bind to the receptors on the target cells, triggering endocytosis, where molecules such as proteins from outside the cell are engulfed into the cell membrane. Consequently, upon reaching the target cells, the active ingredients are released and effectively operate. To illustrate, it's akin to using drones (ligand peptides) as carriers to deliver goods (active ingredients) safely and accurately to the destination (skin cells) by remotely controlling them, especially in hard-to-reach areas.

Plasma

Plasma is the fourth state of matter, following solid, liquid, and gas, commonly referring to ionized gas. When gas is heated to high temperatures or subjected to sufficient electrical energy, the electrons that make up the gas are no longer bound to the atomic nuclei and become free, forming plasma, consisting of radicals (active species), ions carrying positive charges, electrons, and other factors.

As plasma is inherently chemically unstable, it stimulates strong physicochemical reactions by reacting with surrounding substances to return to its original state. Thus, it not only signifies a change in the state of matter but also denotes a state where new active capabilities are conferred upon the gas.

Through numerous studies related to the skin-improving effects of plasma, it has been revealed that applying plasma to the human body can regulate biochemical reactions, participate in signaling pathways for healthy cell and extracellular matrix production according to the properties of plasma expressed within a specific range, temporarily widen intercellular spaces between cells, and allow effective ingredients to penetrate deep into tissues, yielding significant results.

While plasma can be generated using air, there is a risk of accompanying ozone (O3) or nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2) emissions. Therefore, to fully enjoy the inherent efficacy of plasma safely, it is essential to meticulously check the type of plasma gas, as well as the range, intensity, temperature, and choose only validated devices at suitable levels.

Fractional Laser

It's a method that generates a uniform blend by finely dividing micro laser beams ranging from tens to hundreds, targeting a portion of the skin, maximizing the absorption rate of effective ingredients in cosmetics, and activating natural regeneration mechanisms. Professional lasers are divided into non-ablative lasers, where skin tissue remains after laser exposure, and ablative lasers, where skin tissue is vaporized, leaving tiny holes.

Among the latter, Er:YAG (2940nm) can help absorb active ingredients and promote regeneration by activating skin cell metabolism. Unlike traditional CO2 lasers (10600nm) that burn the skin to precisely ablate the target area, Er:YAG lasers utilize the principle of light energy at a wavelength of 2940nm, which instantly vaporizes with water molecules in skin cells, minimizing surface damage and allowing effective ingredients to be absorbed deep into the skin through microchannels created by the laser, promoting the synthesis of dermal fibers, and alleviating various skin concerns such as acne scars, pores, pigmentation, and wrinkles.

The depth of actual skin penetration depends on the laser energy density (intensity) per unit area, with higher density penetrating tissues more deeply. It's a mechanism primarily used in the medical field, but recently, lasers approved for cosmetic devices with skin improvement effects while ensuring safety have been actively utilized in the aesthetic industry.

Iontophoresis

Utilizing the electrical properties where like poles repel each other like magnets and opposite poles attract, the method maximizes the penetration of ionized substances (positive or negative) into the skin, known as 'iontophoresis.' Based on the principle of galvanic current (DC), where a certain direction of current flows from one electrode to another, it induces a potential difference in the skin holding a certain amount of moisture, thereby enhancing the absorption rate of active ingredients.

For example, when intending to penetrate a substance with a positive ion (+), it is applied to the desired area, then an aesthetician holds a negative electrode (-) rod to repel each other, while attaching a positive electrode (+) rod, opposite to the client's hand or shoulder, to facilitate the penetration of the substance into the skin.

The skin absorption rate of active ingredients through iontophoresis may vary depending on factors such as the intensity of the current, duration of current flow, and electrochemical properties of the applied substance (ionization). It is primarily limited to water-soluble substances that are ionized, such as vitamin C, and may induce a tingling sensation during treatment. Additionally, it requires contact between the person receiving the treatment and the polarized electrode, leading to inconvenience.


This summer, we recommend trying out needle-free treatments to achieve resilient and radiant skin without makeup!