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Regional Medical Physics Department

www.rmpd.org.uk

You are here: Home > Innovation > Technology Transferred > The Medimask - Disposable Face Mask

The Medimask - Disposable Face Mask

The need to shield the face during ultraviolet phototherapy (either PUVA or UVB) of skin diseases is well recognised by dermatologists. The reasons are that the face receives frequent exposure to sunlight and is the most common site for skin cancers, and to prevent tanning which some psoriasis sufferers find distressing to explain away, particularly during the winter months.

Previously this has been achieved with:

• Sunscreens - messy and time consuming to apply.
• Opaque material (e.g. towel) over the face - claustrophobic.
• UV face visor - bulky and needs cleaning between patients to reduce risk of cross infection.

Product features

• Protects the face and ears, but is easily cut and shaped to allow treatment of hairline or isolated psoriatic plaques on face.
• Visibly clear but blocks all UVA, UVB and UVC radiation (i.e. all wavelengths below 400nm).
• Each mask is specific to a patient throughout their course of treatment and is then thrown away.
• Assembled with a single movement in seconds and folds flat between treatment sessions for easy storage.
• Effective and well tolerated by patients.

Market size

• Several skin diseases are treated with ultraviolet light, especially psoriasis which is a disease affecting 2% of the world's population.
• Around 20,000 patients treated annually in the UK at 150 hospitals.
• Around 500,000 treatment sessions annually in the UK.

State of development

Complete and on the market. A licensing agreement to manufacture the UV mask (Medimask) has been negotiated with Hybek Limited, a Miyakawa Corporation Company of Japan, with effect from August 2002.

Sectors in which our organisation operates:

• Scientific Innovation
• Medical Technology

Contact

For further details contact, in confidence:

Bill Allan
Regional Medical Physics Department
Sunderland Royal Hospital
Kayll Road
Sunderland
SR4 7TP

Telephone 0191-569-9035.

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