Fraunhofer-GesellschaftPlasma makes wounds heal quicker
Many people suffer from skin disorders. Open wounds are a particularly acute problem, especially among the elderly. PlasmaDerm, a new medical technology solution, uses plasma to facilitate faster healing of wounds.
Skin disorders are a common problem in this part of the world. Atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and chronic venous leg ulcers – typically caused by diabetes or varicose veins – can cause patients years of suffering. Working in collaboration with the company Cinogy and the Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology at the University Medical Center Göttingen, the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST has successfully developed a new medical technology solution for treating wounds and skin disorders known as »PlasmaDerm«. Plasma promotes wound healing when it is generated directly on the skin.
»All you feel is a slight tingling sensation,« says Prof. Wolfgang Viöl from Fraunhofer IST, moving a device approximately the size and shape of a pocket flashlight in small circles over the back of his hand. Holding the device just over the skin, a faint purple mist can just barely be seen at the device’s tip. That’s plasma, he explains – an ionized gas.
PlasmaDerm – which was developed by a team consisting of medical professionals, biologists, physicists and engineers – is a novel solution. For the first time, the device generates a non-thermal or “cold” plasma directly on the skin at atmospheric pressure. The patented method involves placing the electrode of the device close to the skin, with the skin itself acting as the second electrode. A high voltage is then applied across the gap, and the resulting electric fields convert the area between the electrode and the skin into non-thermal plasma.