Needle phobia, fear not!
Submitted by Zero on March 4, 2010 – 7:31 pmOne Comment
A japapanese professor at Kanji Takada of Kyoto Pharmaceutical University has created a new way of delivering drug’s and making it painless. His method uses micro needles which will not break the second layer of skin, if that second layer of skin doesn’t break no pain occurs.
The needles are made out of a water-soluble polymer that dissolves when pressed into the epidermis, the very outer layer of skin.
Other researchers tried to use sugar to make micro needles but their efforts failed because because sugar degrades at temperatures above 100 degrees centigrade, Takada says.
He says his new injection system will be available for use in Japanese hospitals within two years.
Although this first appears a good idea, the needles will be useless, because almost all shots have to be administered intramuscular (directly into muscle tissue), between the dermis and the muscle, or intravenously (directly into a vein), all of which requires going below the second layer of skin. There would be nothing that could be administered via those needles.