JPS6410782B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method and tool for inspecting skin surface morphology, and more particularly to a method for inspecting skin surface morphology by observing the fine structure of the skin surface in a short time, easily, and without failure. Regarding inspection tools used for.

Conventionally, three main methods of observing skin replicas are known and used as methods for inspecting skin surface morphology. The testing method is (1) Apply an appropriate amount of butyl acetate to the celluloid plate,
A method of pressing this onto the skin and drying it, then peeling it off from the skin, gluing the obtained skin replica onto a mount to prevent it from bending, and observing it with an optical microscope (Sump method); (2) Dentistry An impression agent, such as a silicone resin, is applied to the skin and cured, then this is peeled off, another impression agent is similarly poured on top of this and cured, the cured impression agent is peeled off, and this A method of observing with a stereomicroscope (two-stage replica method).

(3) Apply celloidin solution, which is a solution of nitrocellulose in acetone and ether, to the skin and let it dry. After that, apply cellophane with a transparent adhesive on top and peel it off, taking care not to bend it. A method of fixing it on a glass slide and observing it with an optical microscope (Wolf method).

etc.

Among the methods for inspecting skin surface morphology by observing skin replicas, the two-stage replica method has the drawbacks of being complicated, requiring a long time to perform observation, and requiring considerable skill. Although the Wolf method is easy to work with, it has a strong adhesion to the skin and causes great irritation when removed, making it impossible to apply to the face.

For this reason, the Sumpp method is generally used, but even with this method a replica of the skin with an excellent surface microstructure can be obtained. Skin damage may occur due to decomposition products, or it may require skill to determine the appropriate amount of butyl acetate to be used during the work, and it may be necessary to fix the celluloid plate so that it does not bend after being peeled off from the skin. There were some shortcomings.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points and to eliminate the above drawbacks, and has a film of an adhesive such as an adhesive type adhesive on the speculum part for observation with a transmission optical microscope, and also has a reinforcing means. A simple skin surface examination tool made of a plastic transparent substrate whose flatness is maintained by the method, and a skin surface examination tool that allows anyone to easily observe the fine structure of the skin surface in a short time and without failure. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for inspecting surface morphology.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The replica material for forming the skin replica used in the present invention may be any liquid composition that is transparent in a short time and forms a faithful replica of the skin with appropriate adhesion to the skin. The skin replica material used in the examples of the present invention is, for example, α-(N,N-dimethylamino)-ε-
A liquid composition in which a copolyamide of caprolactam and ε-caprolactam, a water-miscible organic solvent, and water are mixed is most suitable. Specifically, this liquid composition is α-(N,N
-dimethylamino)-ε-caprolactam structural unit is 33 to 74 mol%, more preferably 40 to 70 mol%, and the ε-caprolactam structural unit represented by the following formula () is 67 to 26 mol%, more preferably is 60
~30 mol% and a relative viscosity of 1.9~
3.1, more preferably 2.2 to 2.8.

-NH-( _CH2 ) ₄ - _CH2 -CO-...() The above relative viscosity refers to a solution prepared by dissolving the above copolyamide at a concentration of 1 g/100 ml in 98% sulfuric acid at a temperature of 25°C. Relative viscosity measured at

The above-mentioned copolyamide can be easily obtained from α-(N,N-dimethylamino)-ε-caprolactam and ε-caprolactam using, for example, a common anionic polymerization method. In this polymerization reaction, a polymerization catalyst of an alkali metal such as sodium metal and a polymerization cocatalyst such as N-acetyl-ε-caprolactam are combined with α-(N,N-dimethylamino)-ε
- It can be carried out by adding a predetermined amount of each to caprolactam and ε-caprolactam, dissolving them, mixing the two, and then heating the mixture to a polymerization temperature of 130 to 250°C for several minutes or more in a stream of inert gas. .

This copolyamide is soluble in a wide range of solvents, ranging from organic solvents such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol to non-organic solvents such as water, and is flexible in itself and does not crack or bend. Don't wake me up
It also has a high affinity for the skin.

The content of the copolyamide used in the replica material used in the examples of the present invention is 6 to 40% by weight, preferably 15 to 35% by weight based on the total weight of the composition components.
Weight%. If this amount is less than 6% by weight, the thickness of the replica film may be insufficient and it may be difficult to peel it off uniformly.On the other hand, if the amount is more than 40% by weight, the drying time becomes longer, making it difficult to observe in a short time. becomes difficult.

The water-miscible organic solvent constituting the liquid composition is preferably an organic solvent that is miscible with water and can be mixed with the copolyamide, such as ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, Acetone can be exemplified as a preferred example. The water-miscible organic solvent can be used alone or in combination of two or more, and the amount used, that is, the content is 30 to 80% by weight, preferably 35 to 65% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition components. It is. If this amount is less than 30% by weight, the drying time will be longer, making it difficult to observe in a short period of time.On the other hand, if it is more than 80% by weight, the viscosity will not be appropriate, resulting in a replica of the skin with a uniform film thickness. It becomes difficult to obtain a film.

The amount of water used in the liquid composition is preferably 10 to 50% by weight based on the total weight of the components.
It is 15-35% by weight. If this amount is less than 10% by weight, the solubility of the copolyamide will decrease and the liquid composition will tend to form a heterogeneous system, while if it is more than 50% by weight, the drying time will become longer. Observation in a short period of time becomes difficult.

The skin replica material used in the present invention was prepared by using the above-mentioned liquid composition having the above-mentioned range of composition, with the composition clearly defined in the Examples, and all parts and percentages in the Examples are by weight. Unit.

Next, FIGS. 1 to 3 are perspective views showing a partial cross section of an examination tool used for examining the morphology of the skin according to the present invention.

In Fig. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a transparent substrate made of flexible plastic, preferably having a thickness of several tens of microns to several hundreds of microns, with an adhesive layer 2 on one side of which the adhesive is thinly coated to a uniform thickness. It is coated. The amount of adhesive applied is preferably 15μ or more. This adhesive is already known, such as natural rubber, recycled rubber, styrene-butadiene synthetic rubber, polyvinyl isobutyl ether, polyvinyl ethyl ether, polyisobutylene, polyacrylic acid ester or its copolymer, polysiloxane, etc. At least one polymer selected from the group of polymers, or further as a tackifier, rosin, fumarone resin,
A so-called adhesive type adhesive containing an alkylphenol resin, a plasticizer, etc. is used. Reference numeral 4 denotes a mount part, which is made of a planar sheet-like member, such as cardboard, with holes provided in the part corresponding to the speculum part to be observed with an optical microscope, and is pasted to the transparent substrate 1 via the adhesive layer 2. It is worn. The mount part 4 as a reinforcing means limits the speculum part by covering the adhesive layer 2 on the transparent substrate 1 other than the speculum part, and the adhesive layer 2 other than the speculum part is redundant. This prevents the transparent substrate 1 from sticking to other parts, and maintains the flatness of the transparent substrate 1. 3 is the release paper part,
The adhesive layer 2 is a material that does not stick strongly, such as paper with good release properties (hereinafter referred to as release paper).
It is attached to the speculum part of the transparent substrate 1 via the.
This release paper part 3 has good release properties from the adhesive of the adhesive layer 2, so when this release paper part 3 is peeled off from the transparent substrate 1, the adhesive does not stick to the release paper, so the transparent substrate 1 When the adhesive of the adhesive layer 2 for collecting the skin replica is uniform, the speculum part is exposed.

The test tool shown in FIG. 2 is constructed by constructing the mount section 4 and release paper section 3 of the test tool shown in FIG. 1 from the same material, that is, the same release paper. In this way, the mount part 4 and the release paper part 3 are manufactured using separate sheets of paper, as in the case of manufacturing the inspection tool shown in FIG. There is no need to adhere the adhesive layer 2 through the adhesive layer 2. Instead, a cut line is made in advance on the release paper at the boundary between the release paper section 3 and the mount section 4, and this release paper is attached at once to the transparent substrate through the adhesive layer 2. 1, the testing device can be manufactured easily and has the advantage of being inexpensive.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the inspection tool when the transparent substrate 1 is very thin. Here, since reinforcing only one side of the transparent substrate 1 with the mount part 4 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is insufficient, mount parts 4 and 4' are provided on both sides of the transparent substrate 1. The transparent substrate 1 is reinforced. Here, the configuration of the thin transparent substrate 1 with a thickness of about several tens of microns, the adhesive layer 2, the mount section 4, and the release paper section 3 is the same as the configuration of the inspection tool shown in FIG. 1 or 2. It's pretty much the same. However, like the mount part 4, the mount part 4' is made of cardboard with a hole provided in the part corresponding to the speculum part, and this cardboard is attached with an appropriate adhesive or adhesive (not shown). It is attached to one side of the transparent substrate 1. It is more preferable that the release paper part 3 has a handle 5 as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1 so that it can be easily peeled off from the test tool body.
Next, a method for inspecting skin morphology using this inspection tool will be described in detail with reference to specific examples.

Example 1 20 parts of a copolyamide with a relative viscosity of 2.5 containing 63 mol% of the constitutional unit consisting of α-(N,N-dimethylamino)-ε-caprolactam and 37 mol% of the constitutional unit consisting of ε-caprolactam was prepared. water 25
5 parts of isopropyl alcohol, 5 parts of ethyl alcohol, and 45 parts of acetone were added thereto to obtain a transparent and uniform replica material. Using this replica material, three specialized technicians applied it to the cheeks of 50 female panelists. In this application method, an amount of about 10 mg of the replica material was uniformly applied to the skin surface over a circular area of about 1 cm in diameter using a brush made of nylon hair bundles with a diameter of 2 mm and a length of 10 mm. After the applied replica material has dried for 3 minutes, use the inspection tool shown in Figure 1 (the material of the transparent substrate 1 is polyester resin and the thickness is 225 μm) and the adhesive is an acrylic adhesive (acrylic acid Ester copolymer) coating amount
A replica of the skin was taken using 30μ. This sampling method involves first slightly deflecting one side of the test tool, excluding the speculum part, to lift one corner of the release paper section 3 from the adhesive layer 2, and then picking up the lifted part of the release paper section 3 with your fingers to remove the release paper. Peel off part 3 from adhesive layer 2.
As a result, the speculum section covered by the release paper section 3 is exposed. After slightly deflecting the inspection tool and removing the release paper section 3, if the force applied to the inspection tool is removed, the inspection tool can be separated due to the flexibility of the transparent substrate 1 and the flatness of the mount section 4. The paper pattern part 3 is peeled off and returned to the flat state before being removed. If the thickness of the mount part 4 is thick and the mount part 4 is slightly warped and the test tool does not return to its original state, it can be fixed immediately by applying a light force with your hand to lay the mount part 4 flat. It returns to its normal state as an inspection tool.
Using the examination tool with the speculum part exposed in this way, place the adhesive layer 2 of the speculum part on the skin replica, and pull the examination tool to attach the skin replica to the adhesive layer 2 of the speculum part. Collected. The test tool with this skin replica attached was placed as it was on the sample stage of a transmission optical microscope, and the replicas were observed one after another at a predetermined magnification to examine the skin surface morphology. As shown in Figure 4, the replicas were observed under a transmission microscope, and the replica images of all panelists clearly showed fine structures on the skin surface such as skin grooves, skin ridges, and pores. It was possible to accurately capture the condition of the skin on the cheeks of the face. That is, by the skin shape inspection method using the inspection tool of the present invention,
Objective information about the skin, such as skin texture, skin properties, presence or absence of skin problems, etc. can be easily grasped. Furthermore, none of the 50 panelists complained of internal irritation after this.

Example 2 20 parts of a copolyamide with a relative viscosity of 2.6 containing 52 mol% of a constitutional unit consisting of α-(N,N-dimethylamino)-ε-caprolactam and 48 mol% of a constitutional unit consisting of ε-caprolactam was mixed with water. After dissolving in 30 parts, ethyl alcohol 10 parts, acetone
40 parts were added and stirred for 30 minutes using a mixer to obtain a transparent and uniform skin replica material.

Using this replica material, one specialized engineer created skin replicas for each sample on the forearms of 10 male panelists as in Example 1. The inspection tools used at this time were of the type shown in Figures 1 to 3 (the adhesive was an acrylic adhesive,
Application amount: 30μ). The test results obtained by observing this replica of the skin are shown in Figure 5, and the overall evaluation is based on the flatness, transparency, and operability of the skin surface morphology inspection tool. A case where the observation image under the microscope was good was considered good, a case where it was partially good was judged as fair, and a case where it was unsuitable was judged as poor. From this result, it is clear that when the thickness of the transparent substrate 1 is as thin as several tens of micrometers, the structure of the inspection tool shown in Fig. 3 is suitable;
The structure of the inspection tool when the is more than 100μ to several hundred
The structure shown in Fig. 2 or Fig. 2 is suitable.

Example 3 22 parts of a copolyamide with a relative viscosity of 2.2 containing 52 mol% of the structural unit consisting of α-(N,N-dimethylamino)-ε-caprolactam and 48 mol% of the structural unit consisting of ε-caprolactam was prepared. water 23
10 parts of ethyl alcohol and 45 parts of acetone were added to obtain a transparent and uniform replica material.

In this example, the above-mentioned replica material was used, and the inspection tool shown in FIG. 60
g/m ² ) was used. As a comparative example of the skin morphology testing method of the present invention, 30 men and women with no experience in creating replicas were used to create replica materials using the SUMP method. A replica material was applied. That is, each replica creator applied the above replica material to the left cheek of 10 female panelists in the same manner as in Example 1, and applied butyl acetate to a sump board (celluloid board) to the right cheek, and then glued it. Then, after 3 minutes, the replica creator peeled off the replicas according to the method described in Examples 1 and 2 of the present specification or the Sumpp method, and a specialized engineer transparentized both of the peeled replicas. The skin surface morphology was examined using an optical microscope. The results are shown in Figure 6, an example where bubbles were mixed into the replica (No. 6).
(see Figure A) and examples of incomplete drying (see Figure 6B).
Although the number of defective cases such as (see ) reached 27% in the Sumpp method, it was only 2% in the test method according to the present invention. As described above, it has been demonstrated that the testing method of the present invention does not require any skill in the testing process and that even inexperienced people can obtain accurate skin replicas. Furthermore, in the SUMP method, there is a problem in preserving the replica material (celluloid board) due to the strong irritation of decomposed products generated by heat, light, etc., whereas the testing tool according to the present invention No changes occurred even after storage for several months, and no stability problems occurred.

In the above example, a replica material whose composition was specifically specified was used, but in the inspection method of the present invention, if the replica material meets the above requirements, the skin surface morphology can be similarly observed and inspected. It goes without saying that it can be done.

By implementing the present invention as described above,
To have the effect that even a person inexperienced in creating skin replicas can easily create and collect skin replicas in a short time without failure, and can observe them as they are. Moreover,
The inspection tool used in this inspection method has a simple structure such as a transparent substrate and an adhesive layer, is inexpensive, and has the advantage of being suitable for mass production.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 3 are perspective views of partial cross sections of testing tools according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a structural diagram of skin observed by the skin morphology testing method of the present invention, and Figure 5 is a diagram showing various testing tools. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the results of observing the morphology of the skin using the method. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the poor side of the observation results of the skin morphology. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Transparent substrate, 2... Adhesive layer, 3... Release paper part, 4, 4'... Mounting paper part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A skin replica material is applied to the skin, dried to form a film on the skin surface, and an adhesive layer is applied to the speculum part corresponding to the part to be observed with a transmission optical microscope. The adhesive layer of the speculum part of the examination tool, which is made of a transparent substrate whose flatness is maintained by reinforcing means, is applied to the film on the skin surface, and this is peeled off from the skin to obtain a replica of the skin. A method for inspecting skin surface morphology, which comprises inspecting the skin surface morphology by observing a replica of the skin created and attached to the speculum part of the inspection tool using a transmission optical microscope. . 2. A transparent substrate that is transparent and flexible, an adhesive layer consisting of a thin adhesive layer on one side of the transparent substrate, and observation using a transmission optical microscope through at least the adhesive layer. A sheet-like member provided with holes corresponding to the speculum part of the site is attached to at least one side of the transparent substrate through a mount part and an adhesive layer of the speculum part of the transparent substrate. The skin comprises the adhesive layer and a release paper part in which a member with good release properties is affixed to the speculum part, and the flatness of the transparent substrate is maintained by the mount part. Surface morphology inspection tool.