¡@Ultrasonic Therapy

Ultrasound

¡@¡@Ultrasound has been used on shattering calculi, making out the fetus sex, researching dolphin's language, training dogs, and cleaning contact lens. Unconsciously, ultrasonic products become the daily commodities in our life. Looking at the goods shelves, all we have to do is to stretch out the arms and get it. However, lots of people are lost in the vastly technological products. Actually, ultrasound, a high technological jewel, is going to renew and light up our life.

• The development of ultrasound
  ¡@¡@The beginning of the research on ultrasound is from the time of the First World War (1914). The United Nations did it for detecting Germany submarines. After that, except for military purpose, it is used in investigating the sea floor, exploring shoals of fishes, etc. Till 1927, the United States began to use ultrasound to proceed bio-chemical research. In 1928, the eastern German had tests on curing hearing loss and otosclerosis with ultrasound, and in 1939, the history of the ultrasonic therapy was opened. Although ultrasonic development was interrupted by the Second World War, once again, UK and other countries actively re-developed ultrasonic therapy for high rehabilitative necessary in postwar.
• What is ultrasound
  ¡@¡@What is ultrasound? Think what a name should imply, it is a kind of sound. Sound transformed from wave, just like ripples with different sizes and densities. Different waves bring us sounds high and low. Human's hearing range is from 20 to 18000Hz. The higher the Hz is, the higher the tone we hear. Like the strings of violins, the thinnest one always pulls out the higher sound. Ultrasound is the sound that human beings can not hear. In engineering, a rate over 20000Hz is called ultrasound, i.e. the threshold above 20000 vibrations per second.
  ¡@¡@To human's hearing, ultrasound might mean nothing, while to many animals, it is just heard clearly. For example, a bat can releases 20 thousands to 200 thousands Hz of ultrasound. A dolphin or a whale can also discriminate hundreds thousands Hz of ultrasound. If ultrasound means nothing to our hearing, what can we do with it? We do. We can take the advantage of its density and speed on more subtle functions. First of all, we have to know what ultrasound can do.

Physical Foundation of Ultrasound

¡@¡@The unit of the rate of ultrasound is Hertz and that of the intensity (the density of the output power) of ultrasound is Watt, while the action strength is W/ cm², i.e. one unit of output intensity working on one square centimeter. We have to set for different intensities for different purposes, or else powerful ultrasound could hurt very much like a keen knife. However, the kind of ultrasound is not so easy for common people to touch with.
¡@¡@ There are two kinds of waveforms that common ultrasound devices provide. One is continuous waveform and the other, pulses. The difference between the two is that the pulse waveform, unlike the continuous one having heat efficacy, produces more powerful output suddenly in every circle. It is better for us to treat certain abnormalities. Hence, we use it on the field of therapy rather than the others. On the other hand, heat helps beautification so much that we prefer the continuous waveform.

• The rate of ultrasound
  ¡@¡@The rate of ultrasound means the numbers of vibration occurred in a second. Hertz is the unit of measurement. 1000 wave circles occurring in one second means 1000Hz, 10000 wave circles, 10000Hz. As to ultrasound, over 20000Hz, it is not to be heard by human beings. At present, the ultrasound devices for both medicine and beauty are ranged from 1MHz to 5MHz or so.
• The intensity of ultrasound
  ¡@¡@The intensity of ultrasound is measured as Watt, while the action strength is W/ cm², i.e. one unit of output intensity working on one square centimeter. Passed through the safe test, the safe standard of continuous waveform is 1W/ cm² and pulse waveform, 240mW/ cm². For instance, shattering the stones inside the body needs 10W/ cm² of ultrasound. Cleaning equipment uses 10 to 100W/ cm². Continuous ultrasound of 0.5~3 W/ cm² affects the transmission of the peripheral nerves obviously. 5~10 minutes 2~3 W/ cm² causes the axis cylinder of the sciatic nerve to bulge up and then block the nervous pulses. As to beautification, the action strength must be much lesser, for not over-stimulating the tissues. On the face, the output is 0.5W/ cm², to muscles, 1~2W/ cm². That is why almost all beauty devices limit the highest output. The higher output is used on the body or to relieve the sore and pain of the muscles, the lower output, to the facial beautification. The output level of action strength is displayed as following:
  1. Low output <0.3W/ cm²
  2. Middle output 0.3~1.2W/ cm²
  3. High output 1.2~3W/ cm²
• The wave property of ultrasound
  ¡@¡@ Now we understand that ultrasound is used in wide range. Besides, the feature of the wave itself plays an important role too. When the waves contact with matters, they would reflex different types of waveforms back. Therefore, dense waves like the ones produced by ultrasound would supply more delicate readouts. We take the advantage to distinguish the baby's sex, detect shoals of fishes, etc.
  ¡@¡@ These foundations mentioned above bring us three best efficacy of ultrasound that we will explain later. So far we recognize that not only the tiny bubbles remove away tiny dirt, the heat also accelerates the metabolism and blood circulation. It is applied as a new way to solve healthy troubles in modern days.
  ¡@¡@ One who experienced ultrasound may feel nothing but a little warm. Nevertheless, we can not neglect the long-time stimulation, for it causes the dermis tissue fatigued. Generally speaking, the maximum time is suggested not over 15 minutes. On the body, 10-15 minutes is suitable, on face, about 10. As to the guys over weight, prolonging few minutes would be fine. The time between two treatments is better over than 5 hours.
• The transmission of ultrasound
  ¡@¡@ Ultrasound can not transmit in the air. If the treatment head does not completely contact with the skin, the result would not meet your expectation. Researches display, the transmission proportion of ultrasound in the air is 0, about 50% in general water, 60% in distilled water, near 70% in glue matter, and above 70% in special gel. Besides, another efficacy of ultrasound is to promote the skin absorbing outside matters, no matter nutrition or dirt. Hence, the transmission is worthy to be noticed. Except cleaning your skin before using ultrasound device, we also suggested you use special gels or creams (they must be certified by hygiene organization) in case side effects.

The Efficacy of Ultrasound

¡@¡@Ultrasound has been used on the field of medicine, while it began on beautification only 15 years ago. Surprisingly, its three wonderful efficacy bring the ones who care about beauty a brand new world.

• Highly speed vibration ( machinery affect )
  ¡@¡@ The first efficacy of ultrasound is the highly speed vibration. Except in vacuity, same frequency of ultrasound would display various waveforms via different transmissions. Their action on the tissue is just like massage. We usually call this machinery affect as micro-massage. All other efficacy is extended from this one, for example, the heat efficacy and the bubbling action.
  ¡@¡@ The ultrasound applied in therapy is usually ranged from 1MHz to 1000MHz. Even the least vibration of 1MHz would be as keen as a sharp knife to cut off steels, if we reinforce its amplitude. However, the output of the ultrasound used in treating people must be decreased substantially. The wave produced for therapy and beautification is only few micrometers high. One would feel nothing but a little warm. It is better for our tender textures. Appropriate micro-massage plays a modulating role to our physiological system.
• The heat efficacy
  ¡@¡@ The heat is produced by vigorous friction of the modules in speed vibration. It is basically important to human body. To healthy cells, heat supplies energy and speeds metabolism, while to unhealthy ones such as cancer cells, heat weakens them and has them killed easily. Cancer cells can not survive at 43? and the lymphatic system works well at this temperature. That is why we usually kill cancer cells by heat therapy. However, for protecting healthy cells, almost all medical and beauty ultrasonic devices equipped the maximum output temperature and the timer setting for auto switch-off. The design is to rejuvenate our healthy cells and hurt no body tissues.
  ¡@¡@ According to the researches, massaging with 1MHz of vibration for ten minutes, the temperature of the skin texture 4-5cm deep into the surface would go up 0.5-1 degree centigrade, and with 1W/cm² of continuous ultrasound, 0.007 degree centigrade up every second. What does the heat do? It is not difficult to consider that heat helps dissolve the fat, that heat accelerates the blood circulation, and also that heat promotes sweat drainage. All these are immediately concerned to our health.
• The cavitation
  ¡@ ¡@Stirring the water in a fish jar with a chopstick, we supply oxygen to the fish. The speeder we stir, the more bubbles we have. Now just image how many bubbles would be produced by one million stirs per second. That's right, countless and invisible. But, each bubble still does its best to do what a bubble should do. They wrap all oil, stain them up tightly, and remove them away even from the pores of the face. You do not have to worry about the composition of the facial cleansers again, or, if your face is cleaned well or not. Ultrasound is deemed to take the place of soap.
  ¡@¡@ No doubt, skin cleaning is the most important thing, especially for the one whose skin is oily. Most of people have tried and tried to find a perfect facial cleanser but seem to get no reward. Now, the cleaning method has to be changed to make a breakthrough. All we have to do is do a simple cleaning. As to the oozed oil, bacteria, etc. just leave to the ultrasound instead of variety of soaps.