Skin exfoliation devices and kits

Abstract

A hand held exfoliation device suitable for repeated use on a facial skin surface is provided. The exfoliation device includes a body and an exfoliating material attached thereto that is sized for application to a facial skin surface. The exfoliating material includes a substrate and an exfoliating surface. The exfoliating surface is formed from a plurality of particles, wherein the plurality of particles are attached to the substrate to form peaks and valleys thereon. The exfoliating material has a surface roughness S a from about 2 μm to about 16 μm and the particles have an average Mohs hardness from about 4 to about 8.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hand-held exfoliation device suitable for repeated use on a facial skin surface, comprising:
 a. a body; and   b. an exfoliating material attached to the body, the exfoliating material being sized for application to the facial skin surface and including a substrate and a plurality of particles attached to the substrate to form peaks and valleys thereon, wherein the exfoliating material has an arithmetical mean height over a three dimensional surface S a  of from about 2 μm to about 16 μm and the particles have an average Mohs hardness of from about 4 to about 8.   
     
     
         2 . The exfoliation device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of particles have an average size from about 0.25 μm to about 1 μm. 
     
     
         3 . The exfoliation device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of particles are irregularly shaped and randomly dispersed on the substrate. 
     
     
         4 . The exfoliation device of  claim 1 , wherein some of the plurality of particles are agglomerated into larger formations. 
     
     
         5 . The exfoliation device of  claim 1 , wherein the exfoliating material has a root mean square height over a three dimensional surface S q  of from about 2 μm to about 16 μm. 
     
     
         6 . The exfoliation device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of particles are bonded to the substrate by a bonding means selected from the group consisting of a binder and an adhesive. 
     
     
         7 . The exfoliation device of  claim 6 , wherein the exfoliation material comprises an exfoliation surface that includes the particles and binding means. 
     
     
         8 . The exfoliation device of  claim 7 , wherein the exfoliating surface is non-porous. 
     
     
         9 . The exfoliation device of  claim 7 , wherein the exfoliating surface is devoid of fibers. 
     
     
         10 . The exfoliation device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of particles comprise particles selected from the group consisting of oxides, diamonds, zirconium alumina, silicon carbide, garnet, emery, cubic boron nitride, nut shells, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         11 . A skin care kit, comprising an exfoliation device according to  claim 1  and a packaged skin care composition comprising a cosmetic skin care agent and a dermatologically acceptable carrier. 
     
     
         12 . The skin care kit of  claim 18 , wherein the skin care agent is selected from the group consisting of skin whitening agents and skin anti-aging agents. 
     
     
         13 . A method of improving penetration of an agent into a facial skin surface, comprising:
 a. contacting the facial skin surface with a hand-held exfoliation device comprising a body and an exfoliating material attached thereto, the exfoliating material comprising a plurality of particles attached to a substrate to form peaks and valleys thereon; and   b. applying a cosmetic skin care composition to the facial skin surface contacted by the hand-held exfoliation device, wherein the cosmetic skin care composition comprises a skin care agent and a dermatologically acceptable carrier.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein contacting the exfoliating device to the facial skin surface occurs before applying the cosmetic skin care composition to the facial skin surface. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the facial skin surface comprises at least one of a cheek, chin, forehead, and peri-orbital skin surface. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hand-held exfoliating device is contacted with the facial skin surface by applying a pressure of from about 20 g/m 2  to about 400 g/m 2  for from 1 to about 10 strokes. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the hand-held exfoliating device is contacted with the facial skin for from 3 seconds to about 60 seconds. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hand-held exfoliation device is contacted with the facial skin surface at least once per day for at least 7 days. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the exfoliating material has an arithmetical mean height over a three-dimensional surface S a  of from about 2 μm to about 16 μm. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the particles have an average Mohs hardness of from about 4 to about 8.