With the help of nanotechnology you can be rid of those unwanted spots on the skin. Researchers at the National Nanotechnology Centre are trying to come up with antidotes to inflammatory skin diseases. Its director, Wiwat Tanthapanichkoon, said that its team of researchers planned nano-scale use of titanium dioxide to treat acne.

Titanium dioxide goes into the making of many skincare products such as sunscreen and protective lotions as it resists both UVA and UVB rays, but also being a natural absorber of oil, it lends itself to use in the  treatment of acne.

Wiwat said that the research team had conducted a study on titanium dioxide's properties to develop a nano-scale substance, eventually to be used as an ingredient in developing acne treatment products. Nano-scale substances, used in cosmetics, are capable of better absorption at deeper levels, increasing the products' effectiveness.

The team also hopes that titanium dioxide's nano size will ensure a better treatment than the usual methods. The team, working on this for a year now, found that titanium dioxide could be used without harming the skin. It put titanium dioxide on a laboratory dish laden with skin cells to find out if it was effective enough.

Wiwat said that the team would have to hit upon a formula for the substance to be used effectively, given that its efficaciousness was contingent upon the quantity in use.

"We need to find out the right amount to obviate side-effects," he added. The centre, he said, planned on collaborating with a private cosmetics company to test it on humans.

"After succeeding with our lab experiment, we need to test it on a wider scale to make sure it can be used effectively," he said.

The centre hopes to bring the research project into the private sector for further development, completing it ahead of schedule by a year.

The cosmetics sector can derive the benefits of nanotechnology. To improve products, the centre is working on a project to develop nano-capsules from chitosan, or seashell waste.

"Chitosan is bio-degradable so the capsules will dissolve by themselves with no residual contamination," he said. The centre plans initially to use nano-capsules to contain turmeric, known in Thai as kamin chan.

It is a key, wholesome ingredient in cosmetics. Chitosan-rich nano-capsules can also contain other ingredients, as required. The team is now synthesising chitosan for nano-capsule development.

pongpen@nationgroup.com

Pongpen Sutharoj

The Nation