TOOsonix Technology – How it works
Medical device for dermatological and aesthetic therapy
The most versatile device in dermatological therapy
TOOsonix Technology
TOOsonix technology features a unique and patented combination of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) and optical imaging bringing therapeutic benefits for patients with dermatological and cosmetic challenges.
The mechanism used in HIFU is like using a magnifying glass to focus light. Instead of concentrating light, HIFU uses a focused acoustic transducer to produce and direct a beam of ultrasonic waves onto a specific target, called the focus. Unlike light beams, ultrasound passes through tissue with little effect, however when it reaches the focus, where the beam converges, the acoustic power density greatly intensifies, inducing thermal and mechanical effects. This non-invasive method can thereby be used to target and treat diseases inside the human body without surgical procedures or puncturing the skin surface.
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound
HIFU is a rapidly growing field of medical therapeutics, offering successful treatment for a range of conditions, from various cancers and Parkinson’s disease to cosmetic procedures. Many of these treatments were previously impossible or prohibitively expensive but can now be performed non-invasively with high efficacy and several unique advantages:
- No radiation
- No surgery
- No fumes or smells
- No need for anesthesia
- No downtime after treatment
The functionality of HIFU can be characterized as follows:
- Ultrasound is focused into a small point with very high acoustic power density
- The focal point can be created inside the body without surgical procedures
- The very high power-density in the focal point generates thermal and/or mechanical effects
- There is no or very little effect from ultrasound outside the focal point
- The local heating and cavitation in the focal point kill/activate the targeted tissue cells
- The body’s immune system is activated to repair and/or renew targeted cells
At TOOsonix, we’ve brought these revolutionary results to the largest organ of the human body, and the one most differentially diagnosed: the human skin.
Types of Treatment
Depending on the kind of condition and its location with respect to the surface of the skin two kind of treatments are possible:
- Ablative
- Nonablative
One Device – System ONE-M
The medically approved high-frequency HIFU device – System ONE-M commercialized by TOOsonix is the first to enable true dermatological HIFU treatments that are confined and accurately dosed in the human epidermis and dermis without affecting deeper layers and/or adjacent tissue. Additionally, the technology is available in a research-version – System ONE-R suitable for medical research, benefiting studies such as cancer research in small animals with scaled-down focal zones generated by TOOsonix high-frequency HIFU.
Ablative Treatment
So-called ablative treatment is recommended for conditions located in epidermis and the upper layers of dermis (above 1.3 mm). The ablative process is induced by use of superficial TOOsonix ONE-M handpieces with either 0.8 mm or 1.3 mm nominal focal depth (NFD). In such case the treatment is performed by exposing the lesion to pulses of TOOsonix HIFU delivered in shoulder-by-shoulder fashion with a pitch (spacing) of some 1-2 mm covering the lesion. The treatment is performed under real-time imaging guidance since the exact location of point of treatment is usually visible on the surface of the skin as a whitish circle. This is due to the contraction of the collagen fibers in reaction to the exposure to acoustic field.
Ablative treatment is non-invasive and highly efficient, having the additional advantages as follow:
- No radiation
- No surgery
- No fumes or smells
- No need for anesthesia
- No downtime after treatment
The healing process starts immediately once the lesion is treated. In the first phase (lasting about 2 days after treatment) a scab containing most of the pathological cells is formed and pushed towards the surface of the skin. The scab should be kept as long as possible to enable the skin rejuvenation. Once the scab is removed (typically 7-12 days after treatment) the treatment site already contains young and rejuvenated skin cells that will be fully rebuilt within the following period of some 3 to 6 months.
Due to the formation of the scab the ablative treatment is very efficient and relatively fast in removal of unwanted lesions located in the upper layers of the human skin.
Nonablative treatment
So-called non-ablative treatment is recommended for conditions located in the deeper layers of dermis (below 1.3 mm). The ablative process is induced by use of TOOsonix ONE-M handpieces with either 1.8 mm or 2.3 mm nominal focal depth (NFD). In such case the treatment is performed by exposing the lesion to pulses of TOOsonix HIFU delivered in shoulder-by-shoulder fashion with a pitch (spacing) of some 1-2 mm covering the lesion located deep in the dermis. The treatment is performed under real-time imaging guidance. In the case of non-ablative treatment, the exact location of the point of treatment may not be visible directly on the real-time video as the point of treatments are located deep in the dermis. In such case a carful contouring of the lesion as well as planning of the treatment is recommended.
Non-ablative treatment is non-invasive and highly efficient, having the additional advantages such as:
- No radiation
- No surgery
- No fumes or smells
- No need for anesthesia
- No downtime after treatment
The healing process starts immediately once the lesion is treated. In the first phase (lasting about 1-2 weeks after treatment) an internal volume containing most of the pathological cells is formed within the skin. In the following period the targeted cells will be removed by the vasculature as well as the immune system. This period can last from 1 to 6 months after the treatment.
Preclinical Results
The development of TOOsonix HIFU technology has been backed up by detailed pre-clinical studies covering mathematical modelling as well as practical experimentation. The modeling covered calculation of the variety of physical properties of the acoustic transducers, acoustic fields as well as bio-physical response of the human tissue to HIFU exposure. A wide range of analytical and numerical methods have been employed. Many of the results have been published and are available through Publications.
Many of the experimental results have been obtained using human tissue equivalents, usually based on polymer composites with proteins changing their color upon exposure to HIFU. An example of a reaction of the tissue mimicking phantom to HIFU exposure is well illustrated in the video below. More experimental results can be accessed through Publications.
TOOsonix products and technology are patent protected:
US11494351B2; US11679283B2; EP3589367B1, CN109890463B. Other patents pending.
