Plasma technology

Physics actually recognises three states of matter: solid, liquid and gaseous. If, however, further energy is added to a gas, plasma is created – the often forgotten fourth state of matter. Plasma technology results from this state of aggregation.

The term comes from the Greek word plásma (translated: structure) and was first used by the American physicist and chemist Irving Langmuir, who was the first scientist to work with plasma in 1928. It is now known that 99 percent of the visible matter in our universe consists of plasma. This includes, for example, the sun and many other stars, but also lightning and the aurora borealis in the Antarctic and Arctic.

Nevertheless, it is relatively difficult to describe plasma compared to the aggregate states solid, liquid, and gaseous. Roughly speaking, it is a mixture of neutral and charged particles. When gas is treated with very high energies, electrons are released from their atom. This results in an ionised mixture of positively charged nuclei (ions) and negatively charged free electrons. Plasma is therefore a mixture of particles consisting of atoms and ions and electrons that are separated from each other and not organised into atoms. Put simply, plasma can be described as a conductive gas of charged particles. Very typical is the characteristic glow caused by the radiation emission of excited ions, atoms, or molecules.

Plasma technology in medicine

The special physical and chemical properties are used in a wide variety of applications. In manufacturing processes such as welding, for example, but also for fluorescent lamps, plasma screens and in medicine.

In medicine, for example, hot plasmas have been used in surgery for many years, with the focus on vascular sclerotherapy and tissue separation.

Cold plasma technology is clearly on the advance. It combines the advantages of different therapies, such as UV, ozone, or electrotherapy.

Plasma technology can significantly reduce the number of germs on the skin surface – i.e., by several log levels – while at the same time increasing the microcirculation of the skin, which in turn leads to a better supply of oxygen to the skin. These effects play an important role in various areas of application, for example in promoting blood circulation and activating wound healing. Plasma technology is germicidal, but without the development of resistance, which is of enormous importance especially in view of the increasingly unsuccessful use of antibiotics. It is effective even against these antibiotic-resistant germs and can even be used on an outpatient basis.

Cold plasma, in contrast to hot plasma, basically works in the range of body temperature. The temperature of the plasma is below 40 degrees Celsius, so that the treatment is perceived as painless and pleasant. The plasma is generated in different ways in modern cold plasma devices. Often an external gas supply is needed, to which energy is added and through which the plasma is created. A special feature can be found in the PlasmaDerm® device from the company CINOGY GmbH. Here, the plasma is generated by dielectric barrier discharge. The plasma is generated from the ambient air between the skin and the device electrode, because in this case the skin acts as a counter pole to the device electrode.

Use of medical plasma technology

In principle, the aim is to integrate plasma technology into everyday clinical practice with ultra-modern, compact devices. The simple operability and easy transportability of the devices should contribute to the fact that plasma technology can also be used very well in outpatient clinics up to mobile care beyond the use in the clinic.

Primary indications for cold plasma technology are all chronic wound healing disorders. These can be venous and arterial ulcerations, but also diabetic foot syndrome or decubital ulcers. Plasma technology can also achieve good results with poorly healing surgical wounds. And there is now also a lot of positive experience in the treatment of warts, burns and rashes.

Depending on the indication, plasma technology is applied several times a week over a longer period of time. The deep stimulation of the electrical field in combination with the stimulation of the microcirculation ensures a significantly improved supply of nutrients and oxygen to the wound tissue. The plasma causes a reliable and considerable reduction of settled germs in the wound bed.

Plasma technology in cosmetics and dermatological cosmetics

There are also many possible applications for plasma technology in cosmetics and dermatological cosmetics. Especially for the treatment of seborrhoeic skin and acne, the gentle method – cold plasma – is used. And cold plasma is also excellent in the anti-ageing field. Basically, cold plasma devices are supposed to promote natural cell renewal and have an antimicrobial effect at the same time.

Cosmacon offers the development of cosmetics as additional products, so that the effect of a plasma treatment is extended during the treatment-free period. Here we work together with the companies Cinogy GmbH and PlasmaCos GmbH, which offer high-quality and -effective devices.

In clinical studies, for example, the PlasBelle® device from PlasmaCos GmbH was able to prove that a treatment period of 20-40 seconds already leads to a reduction in germs. The reason: cold plasma destroys the cell walls of bacteria very impressively. The healthy cells of the human body, on the other hand, are not damaged. Scientists even report that almost 99.9 percent of bacteria, viruses and fungi are killed by plasma technology.

A corresponding and very extensive study with several hundred participants comes from the Clinic for Dermatology at the Schwabing Clinic (Munich). It not only showed that the application with the cold plasma devices tested there is safe and tolerable, but also clearly proved the reduction of the germ load.

With repeated applications, the microcirculation in the tissue also increases, so that not only cell division and cell regeneration are stimulated, but also collagen synthesis. The skin looks much clearer and purer after only a short time.

The treatment is as gentle as it is free of side effects and leads to visible therapeutic results. It is important that the skin is thoroughly cleansed and freed from make-up residues before application.

Furthermore, plasma technology increases the permeability of the skin so that various active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid can penetrate better after the application. To enhance the effect of plasma technology after an anti-aging treatment, the skin should be treated with high-quality care products afterwards. Products with short-chain hyaluronic acid (for example serums or boosters) are particularly suitable for this. The preparatory treatment with plasma makes the skin extremely receptive to care substances, so that the hyaluronic acid can penetrate better and deeper into the skin layers.

Creams with long-chain hyaluronic acid are recommended for the daily skin care routine. They seal the skin and store valuable moisture, which makes for a plumper and smoother complexion. In principle, plasma technology is suitable for all skin types.

Plasma technology: safe and very well tolerated

Whether for acne or as an anti-aging measure, excellent results can be achieved with plasma technology … And according to the current state of research, absolutely without side effects. For an even better effect, the treated skin areas should be treated carefully and with high-quality care products after the plasma application.If you would also like to offer ready-made cosmetics in this area, please feel free to ask us.

Literature:

The emerging potential of cold atmospheric plasma in skin biology.

Busco G, Robert E, Chettouh-Hammas N, Pouvesle JM, Grillon C.Free Radic Biol Med. 2020 Dec;161:290-304