A National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) research team has designed a 
      Portable Micro-Plasma Device (PMPD) that may be the ultimate solution to 
      repairing the skin after laser surgery.
    
    
      The research team is led by Dr. Jiunn-Der Liao, distinguished professor 
      of Department of Materials Science and Engineering at NCKU, southern 
      Taiwan.
    
    
      The PMPD is a mild treatment whose temperature can be adjusted to body 
      temperature to induce growth factor and reduce the healing time after 
      laser surgery, according to Dr. Liao.
    
    
      The ultimate goal of skin repair after laser surgery is to achieve 
      better effects by minimizing damage and reducing complications, Liao 
      said. For that purpose, PMPD performs well in treating the living skin 
      without causing damage.
    
    
      Liao pointed out that the current application of plasma technology in 
      skin care is limited to the heat generated by the plasma to replace the 
      laser while the advantage of the PMPD is that it lowers the plasma 
      temperature to room temperature to treat the sensitive skin in a milder 
      way.
    
    
      The most important feature of the PMPD is that it can accelerate wound 
      healing and significantly shorten the healing time after laser surgery 
      by using the micro-plasma to stimulate cell proliferation and skin 
      regeneration.
    
    
      Another feature of the device is that it achieves the greatest medical 
      effect while conserving energy by dividing the supply of the gas.
    
    
      The exciting research results, beneficial in dermatology, are promising 
      in the plastic surgery market of the future, said the professor.
    
    
      The PMPD has been awarded patents in Taiwan, Japan, the United States, 
      and China and is scheduled to complete clinic trials on humans in 2013 
      and enter the market in 2014.
    
    
      NCKU, under the sponsorship from National Science Council (NSC), will 
      help the team carry out technology transfer in the hope that the novel 
      treatment will be available to people who need skin repair, according to 
      the university.