Methods for Protecting Skin

Abstract

A method of using a film-forming material for pre-treating an area of skin to reduce friction-related skin irritation, resulting in a reduced risk of acquiring skin chafing and/or blisters, such as may be caused by the wearing of shoes that abrade skin, and particularly including heels, said method comprising the steps of providing a dispensing device containing a film-forming material that includes a friction-reducing and/or friction-blocking element, and applying such film-forming material to an area of skin to reduce friction and thereby reduce the risk of acquiring chafing and/or a blister.

Claims

1. A method of reducing frictional engagement upon the skin of a human being, comprising: providing a liquid comprising an effective amount of a non-toxic water-insoluble occlusive film-forming polymer in a topically-acceptable, non-toxic medium, a friction-reducing agent, and a carrier solvent; applying the liquid to the skin of a human being; and permitting the carrier liquid to dry, and thereby to form a friction reducing film.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid is applied to the skin of the human foot.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid contains at least one modifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid contains at least one defoamer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid contains at least one plasticizer selected from the group consisting of ethylene and propylene glycols and their esters, butyl cellosolve, butyl carbitol, Triethyl citrate, m,p-cresol propoxylate, alkyl benzyl phthalate, alkyl benzyl phthalate, dialkyl adipate, dioctyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate or phosphate, diesters of phthalic and benzoic acids, triphenyl phosphate, trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate, acetyl tributyl citrate, ethyl tosylamide, and sucrose benzoate.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plasticizer is present at about 1-5 percent w/w.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid contains includes an aerosol propellant.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the aerosol propellant is dimethyl ether.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the aerosol propellant comprises dimethyl ether and is present at about 50 percent w/w; the polymer comprises acrylic co-polymer and is present at about 4-10 percent w/w; the friction-reducing agent is present at about 1-7 percent w/w; and the carrier solvent is present at about 35 percent w/w.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the carrier solvent is selected from the group consisting of ethyl acetate, methyl acetate, isobutyl acetate, and isopropyl acetate.

11. The method of claim 1, with material avoidance of toxic organic solvents.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the Acrylic co-polymers is selected from the group consisting of Acrylates Copolymer, Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer, Ammonium/VA Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Ethylene/Calcium Acrylate Copolymer, Ethylene/Magnesium Acrylate Copolymer, Ethylene/Sodium Acrylate Copolymer, Ethylene/Zinc Acrylate Copolymer, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid/VA Copolymer, Acrylates/PVP Copolymer, Acrylates VA Copolymer, Steareth-10 Allyl Ether/Acrylates Copolymer, Acrylates/Steareth-50 Acrylate Copolymer, Acrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Copolymer, Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Styrene/Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Ammonium Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Acrylates/Hydroxyesters Acrylates Copolymer, Methacryloyl Ethyl BEtaine/Acrylates, Lauryl Acrhylate/VA Copolymer, VA/Butyl Maleate/lsobomyl Acrylate Copolymer, Ethylene/Methacrylate Copolymer, Vinyl Caprolactam/PVP/Dimethylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Sodium Acrylates/Acrolein Copolymer, PVP/Dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate Copolymer, AMP-Acrylates Copolymer, Polyacrylic Acid, Ammonium Polyacrylate, Potassium Aluminum Polyacrylate, Potassium Polyacrylate, Sodium Polyacrylate, urethane/Acrylate Copolymer.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the friction-reducing agent is a siloxane selected from the group consisting of: a cyclosiloxane selected from the group consisting of cyclomethicone, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, cyclopentasiloxane, cyclotetrasiloxane, cyclohexasiloxane, and cycloheptasiloxane; a polyether siloxane copolymer; and a Dimethicone Copolyol polymer, selected from the group consisting of Dimethicone PEG-8 Adipate, Dimethicone PEG-8 Benzoate, Dimethicone PEG-7 Phosphate, Dimethicone PEG-10 Phosphate, Dimethicone PEG/PPG-20/23 Benzoate, Dimethicone PEG/PPG-7/4 Phosphate, Dimethicone PEG/PPG-12/4 Phosphate, PEG-3 Dimethicone, PEG-7 Dimethicone, PEG-8 Dimethicone, PEG-9 Dimethicone, PEG-10 Dimethicone, PEG-12 Dimethicone, PEG-14 Dimethicone, PEG-17 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-3/10 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-4/12 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-6/11 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-8/14 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-14/4 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-15/15 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-16/2 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-17/18 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-19/19 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-20/6 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-20/15 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-20/20 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-20/23 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-20/29 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-22/23 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-22/24 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-23/6 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-25/25 Dimethicone and PEG/PPG-27/27 Dimethicone.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0041] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a dispensing device containing a film forming material according to the invention as applied by way of example only and without limitation to the instep of a foot; and

[0042] FIG. 2 is a flowchart for a method of applying film forming material according to the invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0043] According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a use of a film forming material for the preparation of a medicament for pre-treating an area of skin to reduce the risk of acquiring chafing and/or a blister, as herein described.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 1, a dispensing device 100 contains a film forming material 110. By way of example, the film forming material 110 is in the form of an acrylic co-polymer dissolved in non-toxic solvent, and pressurized for use in an aerosol form.

[0045] Using the aerosol dispensing device 100 to pre-treat an area of skin on a foot 120, a film forming material 110 can be sprayed 112 onto an area of skin 122 for forming a membrane. Although shown as applied to the instep therein, the compositions hereof may be applied to any area of the foot, particularly including the heel, or to any other part of the body. Preferably, the membrane is water resistant. More preferably, the membrane is air permeable. Wherefore, it will be appreciated that the aerosol dispensing device 100 can pre-treat almost any area of the body to reduce the risk of acquiring chafing and/or a blister.

[0046] It will be appreciated that, by way of example only, pre-treatment can cause the formation of a water-resistant air-permeable membrane over an area of skin to provide friction protection and thereby reduce the risk of acquiring chafing and/or a blister.

[0047] In an embodiment, the film forming material is in the form of an acrylic co-polymer dissolved in a non-toxic solvent and pressurized in an aerosol format. It will be appreciated that other film-forming materials can be used in accordance with the teaching herein, for pre-treating an area of skin to reduce friction and thereby reduce the risk of acquiring chafing and/or a blister.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 2, an example method 200 of applying a film forming material, may include: [0049] STEP 210: providing a dispensing device containing a film-forming material; and [0050] STEP 220: applying a film-forming material to an area of skin, for pre-treating an area of skin to reduce friction and thereby reduce the risk of acquiring chafing and/or a blister.

[0051] In one preferred embodiment, applying a film forming material comprises spraying a non-irritating solvent-based film forming material onto an area of intact skin for reducing skin friction, which is a common cause of chafing and blisters. It will be appreciated that the method 200 can be both effective and convenient in reducing skin friction.

[0052] It will be appreciated that the illustrated method provides a skin pre-treatment for reducing risk of acquiring skin irritation that can result from friction against the area of skin. Preferably, the method reduces the risk of acquiring skin chafing. More preferably, the method reduces the risk of acquiring a blister.

[0053] Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

[0054] Reference throughout this specification to one embodiment or an embodiment means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases in one embodiment or in an embodiment in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but may. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments.

[0055] Any one of the terms comprising, comprised of or which comprises is an open term that means including at least the elements/features that follow, but not excluding others. Thus, the term comprising should not be interpreted as being limitative to the means or elements or steps listed thereafter. For example, the scope of the expression a device comprising A and B should not be limited to devices consisting only of elements A and B. Any one of the terms including or which includes or that includes as used herein is also an open term that also means including at least the elements/features that follow the term, but not excluding others. Thus, including is synonymous with and means comprising.

[0056] As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives first, second, third, etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.

[0057] Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the above description of exemplary, preferred or alternative embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims subsequently hereof are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

[0058] Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form different embodiments, as would be understood by those in the art. For example, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[0059] In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

[0060] Thus, while there has been described what are believed to be preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the invention. For example, any formulas given above are merely representative of procedures that may be used. Functionality may be added or deleted from the block diagrams and operations may be interchanged among functional blocks. Steps may be added or deleted to methods described within the scope of the present invention.