METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERSONAL SKIN TREATMENT

• US 20110166559A1
• Filed: 08/20/2009
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syneron Medical Limited (Syneron Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Syneron Medical Limited (Syneron Incorporated)
• Inventors: Vaynberg, Boris, Kutscher, Tuvia Dror, Eckhouse, Shimon
• Granted Patent: US 8,778,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/9
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 26/00 Hair-singeing apparatus; Apparatus for removing superfluous hair, e.g. tweezers removing hair using electrosurgical instruments A61B18/04, A61B18/18
• 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 2018/00005 Cooling or heating of the probe or tissue immediately surrounding the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00029 open
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00476 Hair follicles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00636 Sensing and controlling the application of energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00642 with feedback, i.e. closed loop control
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1807 using light other than laser radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0803 Counting the number of times an instrument is used

Abstract

Disclosed is a skin treatment device for personal use. The device includes an optical radiation providing module operating in pulsed or continuous operation mode, a mechanism for continuously displacing the device across the skin, and a device displacement speed monitoring arrangement. When the device is applied to skin, the optical pulses repetition rate establishes the power of the optical radiation as a function of the device displacement speed. The device a hair removal mechanism configured to mechanically remove hair from the treated segment of the skin.

Claims

1. A skin treatment device for personal use, said device comprising:

an optical radiation providing module operating in pulsed or continuous operation mode; and

a mechanism for continuously displacing the device across the skin.

2. The skin treatment device according to claim 1, further comprising a hair removal mechanism operatively configured to mechanically remove hair from the target segment of the skin.

3. The skin treatment device according to claim 2, wherein the hair removal mechanism is at least one of a group of a shaver, an epilator, and a razor.

4. The skin treatment device according to claim 1, wherein the optical radiation providing module is a disposable cartridge comprising:

a source of optical radiation;

a reflector configured to reflect the emitted optical radiation to the segment of the skin;

cooling means operatively adapted to cool the source of optical radiation; and

at least one dielectric coated protective window.

5. The skin treatment device according to claim 4, wherein the cooling means are one of a group consisting of a fan and a blower.

6. The skin treatment device according to claim 4, wherein the reflector is a tubular or prismatic case configured to have openings located about the apex of the reflector and allowing air passage in a direction perpendicular to the source of optical radiation and where the air exhaust openings are located at the open butt ends of the reflector.

7. The skin treatment device according to claim 4, wherein the cooling means are operatively configured to form an air flow along the source of optical radiation.

8. The skin treatment device according to claim 4, wherein the source of optical radiation is one of a group of incandescent lamp, LED, laser diode, solid state laser, a gas laser, or a Xenon IPL lamp.

9. The skin treatment device according to claim 4, wherein the optical radiation providing module is a disposable module.

10. The skin treatment device according to claim 4, wherein the dielectric coated protective window serves as a filter and defines the spectrum of the radiation directed to the skin and the aperture through which the radiation is emitted to the skin.

11. The skin treatment device according to claim 4, further comprising at least one additional window, mounted in parallel to said dielectric coated protective window.

12. The skin treatment device according to claim 4, wherein said cooling means are designed to form an air flow between the two windows.

13. The skin treatment device according to claim 4, additionally comprising a slanted lamp electrode mounted on the air intake side of the optical radiation source, said slanted lamp electrode is operative to induce air flow between the two windows.

14. The skin treatment device according to claim 11, wherein at least one window is coated with a dielectric coating designed to reflect back undesired wavelengths emitted from the source of optical radiation.

15. The skin treatment device according to claim 11, further comprising two reflectors mounted between said two windows, on both sides thereof, said reflectors designed to prevent light scattering.

16. The skin treatment device according to claim 4, further comprising a pair of electrodes operatively configured to apply RF energy to a segment of the skin.

17. The skin treatment device according to claim 16, wherein said pair of electrodes is one of a group consisting of metal strips or metal coated non-conductive material and wherein the RF electrodes have an elongated body arranged along at least one side of the protective window.

18. The skin treatment device according to claim 17, wherein the RF electrodes are at least one of a group of uncoated or dielectric coated electrodes.

19. The skin treatment device according to any one of claims 1 and 2, further comprising an infrastructure frame incorporating:

the radiation providing module;

a device across the skin displacement speed monitoring arrangement and a displacement direction sensor attached to the infrastructure frame; and

a safety switch mounted on the infrastructure frame and activated by insertion of the radiation providing module.

20. The skin treatment device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one visual status indicator and at least one audio status indicator.

21. The skin treatment device according to claim 19, wherein the RF electrodes are suspended with respect to the infrastructure frame.

22. The skin treatment device according to claim 16, wherein the RF electrodes are at least one of a group of uncoated or dielectric coated electrodes.

23. The skin treatment device according to claim 19, wherein the RF electrodes are in permanent contact with the skin and follow the skin topography.

24. The skin treatment device according to claim 19, wherein the mechanism for continuously displacing the device across the skin is at least one of a group consisting of a DC motor with a gear, a peristaltic piezoceramic motor, or a caterpillar driven by a piezoceramic motor.

25. The skin treatment device according to claim 1, wherein the radiation-providing module operates in a pulse or continuous operation mode and wherein when the radiation providing module operates in pulse mode it radiates pulses of high power interleaved by pulses of low power.

26. The skin treatment device according to claim 1 additionally comprising a device configured to perform a countdown of the number of pulses emitted from the optical radiation providing module and wherein the device is one of a group consisting of an RFID or an EEPROM.

27. The skin treatment device according to claim 1 further comprising cooling air temperature measuring means.

28. A skin treatment device for personal use, said device comprising:

an optical radiation providing module operating in pulsed or continuous operation mode;

a device displacement speed monitoring arrangement ; and

wherein the optical radiation power and optical radiation pulses repetition rate establish the device displacement speed.

29. A skin treatment device for personal use, said device comprising:

an optical radiation providing module operating in pulsed or continuous operation mode;

a mechanism for continuously displacing the device across the skin;

a device displacement speed monitoring arrangement;

a skin rejuvenation head; and

wherein the optical pulses repetition rate establishes the power of the optical radiation as a function of the device displacement speed.

30. The skin treatment device according to claim 29, wherein the skin rejuvenation head is a rotating roller with protruding dome shaped contacts.

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

applying to a segment of skin a device comprising at least a pair of RF electrodes, an optical radiation providing module, a mechanism operatively configured to continuously displace the device across the skin, a displacement speed monitoring arrangement, and a displacement direction sensor;

operating the optical radiation providing module to irradiate the segment of the skin;

monitoring the device displacement speed and providing a speed feedback to a user controlling the device; and

wherein, based on said speed feedback, the device operates the mechanism operatively configured to displace the device and wherein the mechanism automatically displaces the device across the skin as a function of at least the optical radiation power.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the device displacement is along the segment of the skin to be treated.

33. The method according to claim 31, wherein when the device reaches the border of the treated skin segment, it is displaced by the user to treat the next skin segment.

34. The method according to claim 31, further comprising enabling contact between the RF electrodes and the skin and coupling RF energy to the skin.

35. The method according to claim 31, further comprising sensing the device displacement direction by a displacement direction sensor, and setting the mechanism to displace the device in a proper direction.

36. The method according to claim 31, further comprising hair removal from said segment of skin and wherein the hair removal precedes skin treatment.

37. The method according to claim 31, wherein the optical radiation providing module irradiates the skin in continuous or pulse mode and wherein the radiation providing module operates in pulse mode to irradiate the skin by pulses of high power interleaved by pulses of low power.

38. A method of safe skin treatment, said method comprising:

applying a skin treatment device to a skin segment from which hair has to be removed;

removing the hair from the skin segment by mechanical means;

applying to said skin segment optical radiation of proper power and wavelength and optional RF energy;

removing from said skin segment hair residuals left after mechanical hair removal; and

wherein the device treating the skin segment displaces itself automatically from a treated skin segment to another not treated skin segment.

39. The method for skin treatment according to claim 38, wherein mechanical means removing the hair from the skin segment are at least one of a group of a shaver or a hair epilator.

40. The method for skin treatment according to claim 38, wherein optical radiation of proper power and wavelength removes hair residuals left after mechanical hair removal.

41. A cooling arrangement for cooling a radiation providing module, said arrangement comprising:

a source of radiation;

an elongated reflector with air passage openings allowing air passage inside the reflector, said openings located about the apex of the reflector and along the longitudinal axis of said reflector; and

air exhaust openings located at the butt-end of the reflector.

42. The cooling arrangement according to claim 41, wherein the area of the air exhausts openings is equal to or greater than the area of air passage openings located along the longitudinal axis of the reflector.

43. The cooling arrangement according to claim 41, further comprising a dielectric coated protective window adjacent to the open section of the elongated reflector.

44. The cooling arrangement according to claim 43, wherein the elongated reflector and the dielectric coated window form an air-conducting channel.

45. The cooling arrangement according to claim 41, wherein the elongated reflector has a curved or polygonal cross section.

46. The cooling arrangement according to claim 41, wherein air flows in the air conducting channel through longitudinal air passage openings, flows along the channel and is exhausted into the air exhaust openings.

47. A method for cooling an optical radiation providing module, said method comprising:

directing a stream of cooling air to a reflector of optical radiation providing module;

dividing the stream of cooling air such that a part of said air cools the external section of the reflector and a part of the air enters through air passage openings inside the reflector; and

cooling the radiation source by directing the air stream inside the reflector along the radiation source, and exhausting the air through butt end openings of the reflector.

48. The method of cooling according to claim 47, further comprising forming an air conducting channel by attaching a glass window to the reflector.

49. The method of cooling according to claim 48, wherein interaction of the air stream with the radiation source and glass window directs the air stream inside the reflector along the radiation source.

50. The method of cooling according to claim 48, wherein the surface of the air exhaust openings is equal to or greater than the surface of longitudinal air passage openings in the reflector.

51. A skin rejuvenation device for personal use, said device comprising:

a skin rejuvenation head including a source of optical radiation providing high power pulses interleaved with low power pulses at a frequency not annoying a user;

at least a pair of RF electrodes operatively configured to apply RF energy to the treated skin segment; and

a cooling arrangement operatively configured to cool the source of optical radiation and a temperature sensor operatively configured to sense the cooling air temperature.

52. A skin rejuvenation device according to claim 51, further comprising a mechanism for continuously displacing the device across the skin.

53. A skin rejuvenation device for personal use, said device comprising:

a skin rejuvenation head including a source of optical radiation providing high power pulses interleaved with low power pulses at a frequency not annoying a user;

a counter counting at least the high power; and

a device displacement speed monitoring arrangement.

54. A disposable cartridge for cosmetic skin treatment cooling arrangement for cooling a radiation providing module, said arrangement comprising:

a source of radiation;

an elongated tubular or prismatic reflector having a curved or polygonal cross section and air passage openings located about the apex of the reflector and along the longitudinal axis of said reflector allowing air passage inside the reflector;

air exhaust openings located at the butt-end of the reflector; and

a dielectric coated protective window adjacent to the open section of the reflector; and

a pair of electrodes operatively configured to provide to the treated skin segment RF energy.

55. A skin treatment device for personal use, said device comprising:

a source of optical radiation operating in pulsed or continuous operation mode;

a pair of electrodes operatively configured to apply RF energy to a segment of the skin;

cooling means operatively adapted to cool the source of optical radiation; and

a hair removal mechanism operatively configured to mechanically remove hair from the target segment of the skin.

56. The skin treatment device according to claim 55, wherein the hair removal mechanism is at least one of a group of a shaver, an epilator, and a razor.

57. The skin treatment device according to claim 55, further comprising a mechanism for continuously displacing the device across the skin.

58. The skin treatment device according to claim 55, wherein the source of optical radiation is a disposable cartridge comprising:

a reflector configured to reflect the emitted optical radiation to the segment of the skin; and

at least one dielectric coated protective window.

59. A skin treatment device for personal use, said device comprising:

a source of optical radiation including a lamp, a reflector configured to reflect the emitted optical radiation to the segment of the skin, and at least one dielectric coated protective window;

a pair of electrodes operatively configured to apply RF energy to a segment of the skin; and

cooling means operatively adapted to cool the source of optical radiation.

60. The skin treatment device according to claim 59, further comprising a hair removal mechanism operatively configured to mechanically remove hair from the target segment of the skin.

61. The skin treatment device according to claim 59, further comprising a mechanism for continuously displacing the device across the skin.

62. The skin treatment device according to claim 59, further comprising a mechanism for continuously monitoring the device displacement speed across the target segment of the skin.