Iontophoretic device

Abstract

The invention relates to an iontophoretic device for the enhanced transport of substances through the skin (1), wherein at least two electrical transportation fields (Ep, Eo) with different directions are applied. In a preferred embodiment, these field are orthogonal and parallel to the skin surface, respectively, and applied in a temporally alternating sequence. Substances are thus transported in an optimal way on their meandering paths through the stratum corneum into or out of the skin. The iontophoretic device preferably comprises an array of electrodes (11) to which either a spatially alternating pattern of electrical potentials can be applied or which can alternatively be divided into two groups of neighboring electrodes that are connected to the same potential. The iontophoretic device may particularly be integrated into any skin-contacting device e.g. an electrical shaver.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.