c USP Conformable Ultrasound Sonophoresis Patch

Ultrasoundinduced transdermal drug delivery (sonophoresis) has long lingered in the bylanes of academic and industrial research, and has failed to attain tangible commercial success. While localized, needleless delivery of drugs is an exciting prospect, the bulky, powerconsumptive equipment and long exposure times do not justify the highlyvariable, operatordependent outcomes in the permeability enhancement effects observed in vivo. We report a conformable ultrasound patch (cUSP) with embedded bulk piezoelectric elements to provide shortexposure (10 minutes) ultrasound and effect a enhancement in niacinamide transport to the dermis. The final system is packaged in a compact formfactor on a flexible polymer substrate that can be applied on facial skin to aid handsfree penetration of popular cosmeceuticals. The easeofuse and highrepeatability offered by the proposed system provides a gamechanging alternative to patients and consumers suffering from skin conditions and premature skin aging.