Premium
Millimeter waves as a source of selective heating of skin
Author(s) -
Zhadobov Maxim,
Alekseev Stanislav I.,
Le Dréan Yves,
Sauleau Ronan,
Fesenko Evgeny E.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
bioelectromagnetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.435
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-186X
pISSN - 0197-8462
DOI - 10.1002/bem.21929
Subject(s) - overheating (electricity) , millimeter , extremely high frequency , materials science , airflow , hyperthermia , environmental science , convection , optics , thermal , intensity (physics) , optoelectronics , biomedical engineering , mechanics , meteorology , medicine , physics , thermodynamics , quantum mechanics
This study demonstrates that 20–100 GHz range can be used for spatially‐accurate focusing of heating inside the skin achieved by varying frequency and exposure beam size, as well as by enforcing air convection. The latter is also used to reduce overheating of skin surface. Heating at different skin depths depending on these parameters is investigated in detail using the hybrid bio‐heat equation. In particular, it is shown that decreasing frequency and/or increasing exposure beam size at forced airflow result in elevation of heating of deeper layers of tissue and decrease of skin surface temperature. Changes of water content within 15%, which exceed those due to aging and presence of tumors, only slightly affect heating. Exposure intensity necessary to reach a target temperature significantly increases in different areas of body with elevated blood flow. Dependence on exposure intensity and hyperthermia treatment duration is also investigated and discussed. Results of this study suggest that the lower part of the millimeter‐wave range is an attractive alternative for non‐invasive thermal treatment of skin cancer with a high spatial resolution. Bioelectromagnetics. 36:464–475, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.