A housing is secured to an area of skin to allow suction to be applied to a
local area of skin through an aperture. After formation of a suction
blister, a blade is actuated to sever a suction cup thereby detaching the
means for creating suction at the aperture and at the same time removing
the roof of the suction blister to expose an area of dermis from which the
skin's epidermis has been removed.
A rotatable portion of the apparatus is then moved into a position in which
a port communicates with a compartment within the rotatable portion. The
compartment may contain a reservoir of fluid substance to be transdermally
absorbed or may contain means for taking a sample of exudate produced at
the exposed dermis. A modified apparatus has means for applying suction to
the exposed dermis to enhance the rate at which exudate is formed and for
handling a sample of exudate for analysis. Transdermal delivery and
sampling are thereby achieved non-invasively and without the impediment of
the skin's epidermis.
