Method and apparatus for treatment of cutaneous and subcutaneous conditions

• US 10,556,123 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2017
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Palomar Medical Technologies Incorporated (Hologic Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Palomar Medical Technologies Incorporated (Hologic Incorporated)
• Inventors: Altshuler, Gregory B., Prikhodko, Konstantin, Belikov, Andrei V., Yaroslavsky, Ilya
• Primary Examiner(s): Manuel, George
• Application Number:
  US15/402,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20170182334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 606 10- 15, 606 20- 23, 607 88- 91, 607 96, 607100, 607101, 607108-112
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/203 applying laser energy to the outside of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00005 Cooling or heating of the probe or tissue immediately surrounding the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00011 with fluids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00458 Deeper parts of the skin, e.g. treatment of vascular disorders or port wine stains
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00476 Hair follicles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/20 continuous direct currents
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/32 alternating or intermittent currents applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling A61N1/40; microwave apparatus A61N5/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/328 for improving the appearance of the skin, e.g. facial toning or wrinkle treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0659 infrared
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0008 Destruction of fat cells
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0034 Skin treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0613 Apparatus adapted for a specific treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0616 Skin treatment other than tanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0625 Warming the body, e.g. hyperthermia treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/00 Ultrasound therapy lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 ; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092

Abstract

The present invention provides method and apparatus for treating tissue in a region at depth while protecting non-targeted tissue by cyclically applying cooling to the patients skin, and preferably to the region, and by applying radiation to the patient'"'"'s skin above the region to selectively heat tissue during and/or after cooling is applied. At least one of cooling and radiation may be applied by successively passing a continuous output applicator over the patient'"'"'s skin. Treatment may also be enhanced by applying mechanical, acoustic or electrical stimulation to the region.

Claims

1. A method for non-invasively treating subcutaneous fat tissue in a region of a patient'"'"'s body, comprising:

cooling skin surface above a region of a patient'"'"'s body prior to applying energy thereto;

applying energy, using an energy source, to skin surface to reach the region of a patient'"'"'s body, said applied energy being of sufficient power and duration to raise temperature of said region above normal body temperature;

removing the application of energy to said region; and

repeating the steps of applying energy to said region and removing the application of energy to said region for a sufficient number of cycles to effect non-invasively any of a cosmetic or a therapeutic treatment in said tissue,

thereby increasing treatment time patient can tolerate compared with a treatment time patient can tolerate in absence of repeatedly cycling applying energy to and removing the application of energy to said region;

wherein during each of said cycles of applying energy and removing the application of energy the temperature of said region increases when applying energy to reach a peak value and decreases from said peak value when removing the application of energy, and

wherein the temperature of said region remains above normal body temperature during said repeated cycles of applying energy and removing the application of the energy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of cooling the skin surface above the region and repeating applying energy to said region and removing the application of energy to said region are performed during a total treatment time of at least 20 minutes.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the cooled skin surface temperature is within the range between 0°

C. and 25°

C.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature of said region is raised to a temperature in a range from 42°

C. to 47°

C.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein cooling skin surface avoids damaging skin surface.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the cosmetic treatment includes cellulite improvement.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said tissue is located below skin and at or above subcutis.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the cosmetic treatment includes fat reduction.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the cosmetic treatment includes skin tightening.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the cosmetic treatment includes skin lifting.

11. A method for non-invasively treating subcutaneous fat tissue in a region of a patient'"'"'s body, comprising:

providing a stationary applicator;

cooling skin surface above a region of a patient'"'"'s body prior to applying energy thereto;

applying energy from an energy source to skin surface, using the stationary applicator, to reach a region of a patient'"'"'s body, said energy being of sufficient power and duration to raise the temperature of said region above normal body temperature;

reducing the energy applied from the energy source to said region; and

repeating the steps of applying energy to said region, using the stationary applicator, and reducing the energy applied to said region for a sufficient number of cycles to effect non-invasively any of a cosmetic or a therapeutic treatment in said tissue,

thereby increasing treatment time patient can tolerate compared with a treatment time patient can tolerate in absence of repeatedly cycling applying energy to and reducing the application of energy to said region;

wherein during each of said cycles of applying energy and reducing the energy applied the temperature of said region increases when applying energy to reach a peak value and decreases from said peak value when reducing the energy applied, and

wherein the temperature of said region remains above normal body temperature during said repeated cycles of applying energy and reducing the energy.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

cooling the skin surface above the region for a selected duration.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the cooled skin surface temperature is within the range between 0°

C. and 25°

C.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein cooling is applied prior to applying energy to the skin surface.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the temperature of said region is raised to a temperature in a range from 42°

C. to 47°

C.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the cosmetic treatment includes new collagen generation.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the cosmetic treatment includes cellulite improvement.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein said tissue comprises hypodermal tissue.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the cosmetic treatment includes fat reduction.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the cosmetic treatment includes skin tightening.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the cosmetic treatment includes skin lifting.

22. A method for non-invasively treating subcutaneous fat tissue in a region of a patient'"'"'s body, comprising:

cycling (i) noninvasive application of energy, using an energy source, to a skin surface to reach the tissue region and (ii) removing or reducing the application of energy, wherein cycling the application of energy and removing or reducing the application of energy steps are performed;

raising temperature of the tissue region above normal body temperature during cycling;

repeating cycling for a sufficient number of cycles to effect fat reduction in the tissue region;

maintaining the temperature of the region above normal body temperature during the sufficient number of cycles; and

increasing a total treatment time patient can tolerate compared to treatment time patient can tolerate when cycling is not performed, wherein the total treatment time is at least 20 minutes.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising cooling the skin surface above the region and increasing a total treatment time patient can tolerate compared to treatment time patient can tolerate when cycling is not performed, at least in part in response to cooling of skin surface to avoid damage thereto.