Fuel cell patch ‘could enable home skin treatments’

Consumers could be able to perform galvanic skin treatments at home following the development of a new disposable patch.

Created by the VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland, the patch is able to change the permeability of the skin with the aid of a microcurrent. It is manufactured using printing and lamination techniques and derives its power from a biofuel cell, reports The Engineer.

The patch is activated with a few drops of liquid prior to application, allowing the microcurrent to be generated from enzymes using sugar and oxygen as fuel.

Another key benefit of the new patch is the fact that the enzymatic anode layer and fuel-containing layer do not interact during production and are kept latent during storage, meaning the power source will remain stable for an extended period of time.

Anu Vaari, a senior scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre, said: "In existing products, the cosmetic agent should be used at the same time with the patch and the current is used to push the cosmetic agent into your skin by the aid of electric field."

Galvanic skin treatments are generally used to tone the muscles, promote better circulation and increase cell metabolism. As such, they have a number of health and beauty applications.