APPLICATOR FOR SKIN TREATEMENT WITH AUTOMATIC REGULATION OF SKIN PROTRUSION MAGNITUDE

• US 20100016761A1
• Filed: 07/15/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syneron Medical Limited (Syneron Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Syneron Medical Limited (Syneron Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Avner
• Granted Patent: US 9,295,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 601/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00057 Light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/308 with suction cups
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00011 with fluids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• 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: 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

Described is an applicator for RF, ultrasound, and light skin treatment. The applicator allows a protrusion of skin to be formed within a cavity and maintained for a desired time, enables good coupling of the treatment energy with the skin and avoids negative pressure adversely affecting the skin.

Claims

1. An applicator for forming a skin protrusion, said applicator comprising:

a housing having a cavity for receiving into it a section of skin to be configured as

a protrusion, said cavity communicating with a source of negative pressure; and

a protrusion regulated valve located in the interior of said cavity and configured to control communication with said source of negative pressure.

2. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the housing is configured, under the application of the negative pressure, to draw the skin into said cavity.

3. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein said valve further comprises:

a plate coupled with at least one guide, said plate configured to be displaced in a first direction by said protrusion; and

a spring configured to assert a force in the opposite direction as the first direction to encourage the return of the displaced plate towards its non-displaced position when the protrusion recedes.

4. The valve according to claim 3, further comprising a gasket, said gasket configured to temporarily seal said cavity when the valve is displaced to a closed position.

5. The applicator according to claim 1, further comprising a protrusion magnitude sensor and where the sensor is at least one of a group consisting of optical sensors, mechanical sensors, resistive sensors, capacitive sensors or inductive sensors.

6. The applicator according to claim 5, wherein the protrusion magnitude sensor is a skin laxity sensor.

7. The applicator according to claim 5, wherein the protrusion magnitude sensor is a switch.

8. The applicator according to claim 1, further comprising one of a group consisting of a disposable gel guard or reusable gel guard.

9. A method of forming a skin protrusion, said method comprising:

applying an applicator to a segment of skin, the applicator having a cavity communicating with a source of negative pressure;

forming a skin protrusion by drawing a portion of the segment of skin into the cavity as a result of the negative pressure; and

regulating the magnitude of said protrusion by a valve controlling the level of the negative pressure forming said protrusion.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein communication with said source of negative pressure is through the valve, which is configured to control said negative pressure communication as it moves between an open and a closed position.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein a positive pressure applied by the protrusion to the valve is operable to move the valve towards the closed position, thereby reducing communication with said source of negative pressure.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein a spring is associated with the valve in such a way that as the valve moves towards the closed position, the spring is compressed thereby storing energy to pressure the valve to move towards the open position to increase the communication with said source of negative pressure.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the magnitude of said negative pressure is limited to a value that will not result in the generation of adverse effects on the skin.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

applying a gel to the treated section of the skin; and

preventing the gel from penetrating into cavity by attaching a disposable gel guard to the applicator.

15. An applicator for skin treatment, said applicator comprising:

a housing defining a cavity for receiving a section of skin to be configured as a protrusion, said cavity housing communicating with a vacuum source to provide negative pressure within the cavity, and a valve located in the interior of said cavity and being configured to control communication with said source of negative pressure; and

one or more RF electrodes communicating with an RF energy generator.

16. The applicator according to claim 15, wherein negative pressure within the cavity operates to draw the skin into said cavity thereby creating a protrusion.

17. The applicator according to claim 15, wherein said valve further comprises:

a plate coupled with at least one guide, said plate configured to be displaced by the protrusion of skin; and

a spring configured to return the displaced plate towards its non-displaced position when the protrusion of skin recedes from the cavity.

18. The applicator according to claim 15, further comprising at least one ultrasound transducer.

19. The applicator according to claim 18, wherein said ultrasound transducer communicates with an ultrasound energy generator providing ultrasound energy to said transducer.

20. The applicator according to claim 18, wherein said ultrasound transducer is at least one of a group consisting of conventional or phased array transducers.

21. The applicator according to claim 15, further comprising at least one source of illumination.

22. The applicator according to claim 15, further comprising a disposable gel guard.

23. A method of skin treatment, said method comprising:

placing an applicator onto a section of skin, the applicator defining a cavity and, the cavity being configured to receive at least a portion of the section of the skin, and a valve located in the interior of said cavity and configured to control communication with a source of negative pressure, and at least one RF electrode communicating with an RF energy generator;

forming a skin protrusion by drawing at least a portion of said section of skin into the cavity by the application of negative pressure and wherein the magnitude of said protrusion regulates the value of the negative pressure forming said protrusion; and

applying RF energy to said skin protrusion.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein a positive pressure applied by the skin protrusion to the valve disables the communication with said source of negative pressure.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the RF energy is applied to said skin protrusion in a pulsed or continuous mode.

26. The method according to claim 23, wherein the RF energy applied to said protrusion has power and frequency sufficient to cause a desired treatment effect.

27. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the step of applying ultrasound energy to said skin protrusion.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the step of applying ultrasound energy further comprising applying ultrasound energy to said skin protrusion before or simultaneously with said RF energy.

29. The method according to claim 27, further comprising the step of sensing the magnitude of the skin protrusion and applying the signal to switch ON or OFF the application of at least one of the RF or the ultrasound based on the sensed magnitude.

30. The method according to claim 23, wherein the step of forming a skin protrusion further comprises actuating the valve so as to control the value of said negative pressure in such a manner to reduce the generation of adverse effects on the skin.

31. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

applying a gel to the treated section of the skin, and

preventing penetration of gel into a vacuum system by attaching a disposable gel guard to the applicator.

32. A method of combined RF and ultrasound skin treatment, said method comprising:

forming a skin protrusion by applying negative pressure to draw a portion of said skin into a cavity defined by an applicator, the applicator having at least one valve, at least one RF electrode and at least one ultrasound transducer;

regulating the magnitude of said skin protrusion by controlling the negative pressure as the skin protrusion asserts pressure against the valve; and

applying ultrasound energy to said skin protrusion to heat focal volumes to a first temperature.

33. The method according to claim 32, further comprising introducing RF energy to heat said focal volumes to a second temperature sufficient to cause the desired treatment effect.

34. The method according to claim 32, further comprising determining the time required for forming the protrusion and deriving from said time the desired skin treatment parameters.

35. The method according to claim 32, further comprising sensing the magnitude of the protrusion and applying the signal based on the magnitude to switch ON or OFF application of at least one of RF or ultrasound.

36. A system for skin treatment, said system comprising:

an applicator for forming a skin protrusion, said applicator automatically regulating the magnitude of said protrusion;

said applicator further comprising;

i) one or more RF electrodes; and

ii) one or more ultrasound transducers; and

iii) a protrusion magnitude sensor; and

a controller including at least a vacuum pump, an RF generator and an ultrasound generator.

37. The system according to claim 36, wherein said controller further includes a cooling unit adapted to cool the skin, RF electrodes and ultrasound transducers.

38. A method of protection of an applicator and vacuum pump associated with it from gel penetration, said method comprising:

inserting a disposable gel guard into the applicator;

collecting excessive gel on said guard; and

exchanging periodically the disposable gel guard.

39. A method of skin laxity determination, said method comprising:

applying an applicator to a section of skin and generating a skin protrusion;

determining the time required for the skin to fill-in a cavity defined by the applicator; and

wherein the time required for the skin to fill-inin the cavity determines skin laxity.

40. A method of skin laxity determination, said method comprising:

applying an applicator to a section of skin and generating a skin protrusion;

determining the function relating the time required for the skin for forming a protrusion and the magnitude of the protrusion; and

wherein the slope of the function relating the time required to skin for forming a protrusion and the magnitude of the protrusion determines skin laxity.