Apparatus and method to apply substances to tissue

• US 20060189964A1
• Filed: 05/06/2005
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solta Medical, Inc. (Bausch Health Cos., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aesthera
• Inventors: Young, Steve, Anderson, Robert S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,571,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/20 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/203 applying laser energy to the outside of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00057 Light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/306 holding by means of suction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00005 Cooling or heating of the probe or tissue immediately surrounding the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00017 with gas
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0047 Upper parts of the skin, e.g. skin peeling or treatment of wrinkles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00476 Hair follicles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/208 with multiple treatment beams not sharing a common path, e.g. non-axial or parallel
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/441 Skin evaluation, e.g. for skin disorder diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/06 for high-frequency therapy
• 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

Methods and apparatuses to apply substances to a biological tissue are described. The tissue having an target below a surface is stretched to provide openings in a surface. Stretching forces a material from the target onto the surface. A first substance may be applied while stretching to promote cleaning the tissue. A second substance may be applied to the surface. Energy may be applied to the tissue. Then the tissue is relaxed to draw the second substance through the openings into the tissue. The tissue may be stretched by applying a negative pressure, and relaxed by removing the negative pressure. The first substance may be an abrasive material. The second substance is a medicine, a moisturizer, a lotion, or any combination thereof. The second substance may be applied to the biological tissue using a positive pressure. The apparatus to apply substances may be a handheld device.

Claims

1. A method to treat a biological tissue, comprising:

stretching a biological tissue having a substance applied on a surface of the biological tissue; and

relaxing the biological tissue to draw the substance from the surface into the biological tissue.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the stretching includes applying a negative pressure to the biological tissue and the relaxing includes removing the negative pressure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the substance is a medicine, a moisturizer, water, an alcohol, a lotion, or any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising

applying an energy to the biological tissue.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the energy is a light energy, a radio frequency energy, an ultrasound energy, or any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the stretching is to expose an inner surface of a target below the surface of the biological tissue.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the stretching is designed to push a material contained in the target onto the surface of the biological tissue.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the relaxing is to draw the substance into the target.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the substance is applied onto the surface using a positive pressure.

10. A method to treat a biological tissue, comprising:

stretching a biological tissue having a surface and a target below the surface, to provide openings in the surface; and

applying a first substance to the surface while stretching to promote cleaning of the surface.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first substance includes an abrasive material.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the stretching includes exposing debris in the openings.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the stretching is to push out at least a portion of a material from the target to the surface and wherein the material is wiped away.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising

applying a second substance to the biological tissue;

and

relaxing the biological tissue.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second substance is a medicine, moisturizer, water, an alcohol, a lotion, or any combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the stretching includes applying a negative pressure to the biological tissue.

17. The method of claim 16, the relaxing includes removing the negative pressure from the biological tissue.

18. An apparatus comprising:

an outer portion to form a vacuum seal between the outer portion and the biological tissue;

a chamber encompassed by the outer portion and being capable of maintaining a pressure below atmospheric pressure to bring at least a portion of the biological tissue into the chamber; and

at least one substance supplier coupled to the chamber, to apply the substance to a surface of the biological tissue, the substance being on the surface while the biological tissue is stretched by the pressure.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the substance is a medicine, a moisturizer, water, an alcohol, a lotion, or any combination thereof.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the substance includes an abrasive material.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the substance supplier is a pad, a dispenser, a conduit, or any combination thereof.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the substance supplier is a microdermabrator.

23. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising

a pressure conduit coupled to the chamber to provide negative pressure to the chamber.

24. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising

a pressure conduit coupled to the chamber to provide positive pressure to the chamber.

25. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising

at least one energy source coupled to the chamber, to deliver the energy to the biological tissue.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the energy is an incoherent light energy, a coherent light energy, a radio frequency energy, an ultrasound energy, or any combination thereof.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the energy source is not exposed to any pressure inside the chamber.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising

a regulator to automatically regulate a power level of the energy.

29. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

at least one display element coupled to the outer portion to display information and data.

30. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising

one or more sensors coupled to the chamber, wherein the one or more sensors is selected from a group consisting of a substance sensor, skin color sensor, a temperature sensor, a motion sensor, a vapor pressure sensor.

31. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is a handheld device.

32. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is a portable device.

33. A system to treat a biological tissue, comprising:

means for stretching a biological tissue having a substance on a surface; and

means for relaxing the biological tissue to draw the substance from the surface into the biological tissue.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the means for stretching includes means for applying a negative pressure to the biological tissue and the means for relaxing includes means for removing the negative pressure.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the substance is a medicine, a moisturizer, water, an alcohol, a lotion, or any combination thereof.

36. The system of claim 33 further comprising

means for applying an energy to the biological tissue.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the energy is a light, a radio frequency, an ultrasound, or any combination thereof.

38. The system of claim 33, further comprising

means for providing a positive pressure to apply the substance onto the surface of the biological tissue.

39. The system of claim 33, wherein the system to treat the biological tissue is a handheld system.

40. A system to treat a biological tissue, comprising:

means for stretching a biological tissue having a surface and an target below the surface, to provide openings in a surface; and

means for applying a first substance to the surface while stretching to promote cleaning the surface.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the first substance includes an abrasive material.

42. The system of claim 40, further including

means for applying a second substance to the biological tissue;

and

means for relaxing the biological tissue.

43. The system of claim 40, wherein the second substance is a medicine, moisturizer, water, an alcohol, a lotion, or any combination thereof.

44. The system of claim 40, wherein the means for stretching includes means for applying a negative pressure to the biological tissue.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein means for the relaxing includes means for removing the negative pressure from the biological tissue.