Treatment systems and methods for affecting glands and other targeted structures

• US 10,575,890 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2015
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc. (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc. (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Inventors: DeBenedictis, Leonard, Frangineas, Jr., George, Tatsutani, Kristine, Weber, Bryan J., Jiang, Kerrie, Yee, Peter, Pham, Linda, Nanda, Gurvinder Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Giuliani, Thomas A
• Application Number:
  US15/115,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20170007309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,859 Days
• Field of Search: 607 96, 606 20- 26
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/02 by cooling, e.g. cryogenic techniques devices for cooling specific reflex points of the body within cell-life limits A61H39/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/0206 ultrasonic, e.g. for destroying tissue or enhancing freezing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00291 using suction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00464 Subcutaneous fat, e.g. liposuction, lipolysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00714 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00791 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00875 Resistance or impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00994 combining two or more different kinds of non-mechanical energy or combining one or more non-mechanical energies with ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0237 with a thermoelectric element in the probe for cooling purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0262 using a circulating cryogenic fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0463 against cooling or freezing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/04 Protection of tissue around surgical sites against effects of non-mechanical surgery, e.g. laser surgery protection of eyes against laser radiation A61F9/022
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0003 Face
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0004 Eyes or part of the face surrounding the eyes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0019 Breast
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0036 Hand
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0045 Foot
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0047 Sole
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0052 for treatment of skin or hair
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0056 : for cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0075 : using a Peltier element, e.g. near the spot to be heated or cooled
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0087 : Hand-held applicators
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0093 : programmed
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0096 : with a thermometer
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/00 : Heating or cooling appliances for medical or therapeutic treatment of the human body heating or cooling means in connection with bedsteads or mattresses A47C21/00 ; massage, therapeutic baths A61H; hyperthermia using electric or magnetic fields or ultrasound A61N; electric heating elements H05B
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/007 : characterised by electric heating
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 1/006 : Apparatus for applying pressure or blows for compressive stressing of a part of the skeletal structure, e.g. for preventing or alleviating osteoporosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 1/008 : Apparatus for applying pressure or blows almost perpendicular to the body or limb axis, e.g. chiropractic devices for repositioning vertebrae, correcting deformation
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/045 : Hydroxy compounds, e.g. alcohols; Salts thereof, e.g. alcoholates
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/047 : having two or more hydroxy groups, e.g. sorbitol
• 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

Treatment systems, methods, and apparatuses for treating acne, hyperhidrosis, and other skin conditions are described. Aspects of the technology can include cooling a surface of a patient'"'"'s skin and detecting changes in the tissue. The tissue can be cooled a sufficient length of time and to a temperature low enough to affect glands or other targeted structures in the skin.

Claims

1. A treatment system for treating a subject'"'"'s glands, the glands being either sebaceous glands or sweat glands, the treatment system comprising:

an applicator configured to be applied to the subject and including a cooling device for cooling the subject'"'"'s skin at a treatment site to a temperature low enough and for a first period of time long enough to produce a freeze event in the skin, the temperature being higher than −

40 degrees C.; and

a controller programmed with instructions for causing the cooling device to continue to cool the subject'"'"'s skin after the treatment system detects the freeze event so that the freeze event lasts a second period of time to substantially alter secretion levels of the glands without causing hypopigmentation of a significant amount of the subject'"'"'s epidermis, which is directly between the cooling device and the tissue that experiences the freeze event, within one or more days after the freeze event ends, the second period of time being longer than 10 seconds.

2. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to control the cooling device to continue cooling the subject'"'"'s skin after detection of the freeze event to maintain at least a partially frozen state of a portion of the skin with the glands so as to decrease the secretion levels of the glands.

3. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein the cooling device has a freeze detect sensor and a thermoelectric cooler, wherein the controller is configured to receive output from the freeze detect sensor and to cause the thermoelectric cooler to continue to cool the surface of the subject'"'"'s skin for the second period of time after the freeze detect sensor detects at least partial freezing of the skin.

4. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to control operation of the cooling device to cool the subject'"'"'s skin using the cooling device such that ice crystals are present in the skin for a sufficient length of time to injure the glands without causing necrosis.

5. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to cool the subject'"'"'s skin for the second period of time and to a temperature sufficient to injure the subject'"'"'s dermis and glands therein without substantially injuring the subject'"'"'s subcutaneous adipose tissue.

6. The treatment system of claim 5, wherein the second period of time is less than about 40 minutes.

7. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to cause the treatment system to supply thermal energy to the surface of the skin before, during, and/or after skin cooling to inhibit freeze damage to the subject'"'"'s epidermis.

8. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to control operation of the treatment system so that the treatment system promotes nucleation in supercooled tissue to initiate the freeze event.

9. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed with thawing instructions that, when executed after the second period of time, cause the applicator to heat the treatment site and thaw the subject'"'"'s frozen tissue.

10. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to control the treatment system such that the freeze event causes apoptotic damage to tissue at the treatment site and does not cause necrotic damage to tissue at the treatment site.

11. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein the applicator includes a curved cooling device movable away from and towards a targeted feature of the subject while the applicator is applied to the subject.

12. The treatment system of claim 11, wherein the cooling device is configured to receive and cool a sebaceous cyst.

13. A treatment system for treating a subject'"'"'s sebaceous glands or sweat glands, the treatment system comprising:

an applicator configured to be applied to the subject and including a cooling device for cooling the subject'"'"'s skin at a treatment site to a temperature low enough and for a first period of time long enough to produce a cooling event in the skin, the temperature being higher than −

40 degrees C.; and

a controller programmed with instructions for causing the cooling device to cool the surface of the skin for a second period of time and to a temperature sufficiently low to injure the subject'"'"'s dermis and the glands therein but without injuring the subject'"'"'s subcutaneous adipose tissue and without causing significant lightening of any portion of an upper region of the skin at the treatment site within one day after the cooling event terminates, the upper region of the skin is located directly between the injured glands and the surface of the skin contacted by the cooling device, the second period of time being less than about 40 minutes.