Researchers from MiT have developed a polymer skin that humans can wear to can help smooth wrinkles, or protect them from extreme weather conditions and UV rays. In the future the skin may be adapted for applying medicine for those with skin conditions, such as eczema or in assisting burn victims as they recover from their injuries.
The polymer discovery has been made public by the team via the online journal Nature, where they write, “We report the synthesis and application of an elastic, wearable crosslinked polymer layer (XPL) that mimics the properties of normal, youthful skin. XPL is made of a tunable polysiloxane-based material that can be engineered with specific elasticity, contractility, adhesion, tensile strength and occlusivity. XPL can be topically applied, rapidly curing at the skin interface without the need for heat- or light-mediated activation.”
Daniel Anderson, an associate professor in MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering who was part of the research team described the polymer skin as, “an invisible layer that can provide a barrier, provide cosmetic improvement, and potentially deliver a drug locally to the area that’s being treated. Those three things together could really make it ideal for use in humans.”
The ‘skin’ has great cosmetic potential because, as the MiT News website reports, “the researchers found that the material was able to reshape ‘eye bags’ under the lower eyelids and also enhance skin hydration. This type of ‘second skin’ could also be adapted to provide long-lasting ultraviolet protection.”
Pictures credited to MiT.
This breakthrough is all the more impressive as many other researchers have tried to create artificial skin before. “Creating a material that behaves like skin is very difficult,” says Barbara Gilchrest, a dermatologist at MGH and an author of the paper. “Many people have tried to do this, and the materials that have been available up until this have not had the properties of being flexible, comfortable, non-irritating, and able to conform to the movement of the skin and return to its original shape.”
The MiT website further explains how simple the skin is to use, describing the application as, “The XPL is currently delivered in a two-step process. First, polysiloxane components are applied to the skin, followed by a platinum catalyst that induces the polymer to form a strong cross-linked film that remains on the skin for up to 24 hours. This catalyst has to be added after the polymer is applied because after this step the material becomes too stiff to spread. Both layers are applied as creams or ointments, and once spread onto the skin, XPL becomes essentially invisible.”
You can watch the ‘skin’ being applied and tested in this YouTube clip.
For now the scientific community is still considering the full implication of the discovery, but Thahn Nga Tran, a dermatologist and instructor at Harvard Medical School, who was not involved in the research, spoke for many when saying, “I think it has great potential for both cosmetic and noncosmetic applications, especially if you could incorporate antimicrobial agents or medications.”
Meanwhile, in the business world, its many possible uses, especially in highly sought-after anti-aging products, have led to a large amount of interest in getting the polymer to market. What affect this will have on polymer feedstock prices and demands for polysiloxane components remains to be seen.