Acne facial treatment appliance and method
OwnerHelen E. Smit, Julie A. Smitinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A personal appliance comprises a vacuum chamber and a steam-generating chamber. Steam is applied to an area of human skin for a period which is long enough to open pores, melt any wax-like substances within the pores, and otherwise cause the skin to be cleaned. Thereafter, a mild suction is applied to the steamed area. In some instances the suction may be applied in a pulsating manner to massage the skin.
Claims17
A personal appliance comprising a housing including means for heating fluids to a steam heat, means for conveying said steam by convection currents directly to an area of skin surface for a predetermined period, valve means for preventing the steam-moistened air from being mixed with and cooled by room air during the conveying of said steam-moistened air to the skin to prevent condensation of said steam into water droplets and to avoid intentionally cooling the steam, and means for thereafter applying a pulsating air suction to the area of skin which is heated by said steam, said housing including a combination of a down-draft hood and a removable tray for catching debris lifted from said area of skin whereby said tray may be lifted out of said appliance to remove said debris and sanitize said tray.
A personal appliance comprising a housing including means for heating fluids to a steam heat means for conveying said steam by convection currents directly to an area of skin surface for a predetermined period, means for preventing the steam-moistened air from being mixed with and cooled by room air during the conveying of said steam-moistened air to the skin to prevent condensation of said steam into water droplets and to avoid intentionally cooling the steam, means for thereafter applying a pulsating air suction to the area of skin, said means for applying a suction to an area of skin comprising a detachable hose and a down-draft hood means for connecting said hose over said source of fluid in a position where heavy particles are entrapped by said fluid while lighter particles may be drawn from said hose, said means for conveying said moist air comprising a plurality of attachments which may be selectively attached to said appliance and then may be detached therefrom and washed, said attachment further comprising means for resting stationarily over and in close contact with said area of skin despite differences in contours of the surface of said skin wherein said steam and suction may be applied directly to said skin area.
A process for treating human skin comprising the steps of:
- a. selecting an attachment of a desired size and shape which corresponds to an area of skin to be treated, said selected attachment to be placed in direct contact with the skin area for treatment;
- b. heating a fluid to form a steam sauna bath and exposing a desired area of said skin to air delivered by convection currents from said sauna steam bath to the skin area through said selected attachment, without introduction of cool air into said steam or condensation of said air and steam bathing the skin area for a predetermined period of time to open the skin pores and melt the debris within said skin pores;
- c. vacuuming with pulsation said area of skin after said predetermined period of time to lift said melted debris from within skin pores;
- and
- d. sucking debris with pulsation from said treated skin area through said selected attachment, and deposited into a removable collection means which may be removed from the machine to wash and clean it.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.