The Deformation and Fracture of Skin under Insertion of Microneedle

Abstract

Microneedle, as a novel way for transdermal drug delivery, due to its painless and minimally invasive, has recently attracted much attention. The present study investigated skin deformation and failure due to insertion by a single microneedle with nonlinear finite element method. The finite element model considered multilayered, non-linear and hyperelastic properties of the skin, and tissue failure was phenomenologically described by an effective stress failure criterion. The deformation and failure of skin and the force displacement behaviour of the microneedle are discussed. The numerical results show a good agreement with the reported experimental data. The performed study provided novel insights into skin failure due to insertion of microneedle, and provided useful information with which to optimise the microneedle design.