SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVING AN OUTSIDE APPEARANCE OF SKIN USING ULTRASOUND AS AN ENERGY SOURCE

• US 20130046209A1
• Filed: 07/10/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Guided Therapy Systems Llc
• Original Assignee: Guided Therapy Systems Llc
• Inventors: Slayton, Michael H., Barthe, Peter G.
• Application Number:
  US13/545,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20130046209A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 601/3
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/18 by applying electromagnetic radiation, e.g. microwaves radiation therapy A61N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00642 with feedback, i.e. closed loop control
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/0092 using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic vibrations, e.g. phonophoresis
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0004 Applications of ultrasound therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0017 Wound healing
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0034 Skin treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0039 using microbubbles
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0052 using the same transducer for therapy and imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/006 Lenses
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0073 using multiple frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0078 with multiple treatment transducers
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/027 with multiple foci created simultaneously
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/02 Localised ultrasound hyperthermia hyperthermia in general A61F7/00

Abstract

In some embodiments, the method can comprise locating a targeted portion of skin surface; delivering ultrasound energy to subcutaneous tissue below the skin surface; producing a biological effect in at least one of the skin surface and the subcutaneous tissue; and improving the appearance of the targeted portion of the skin surface. Improving the appearance of the skin surface can be at least one of increasing skin elasticity, reducing skin oiliness, reducing skin pore size, smoothing skin texture, reducing hyperpigmentation, treating and/or preventing acne, reducing a blemish, reducing an appearance of spider veins and/or rosacea, reducing an appearance of scars, reducing an appearance of stretch marks, rejuvenating skin, increasing collagen in the subcutaneous tissue, tightening of sagging sink, rejuvenating photoaged skin, increasing a thickness of a dermal layer, reducing a wrinkle on the skin surface, generating new tissue in the subcutaneous layer, and combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A method for treating a surface of skin, the method comprising:

creating a conformal region of elevated temperature;

treating a surface and subsurface of skin simultaneously;

creating a transitional biological effect on the surface of the skin without causing cell death, a scar, or permanent damage to the surface of the skin;

creating a thermal effect to the subsurface of the skin; and

initiating a permanent biological effect to the subsurface of the skin.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising creating an optically visible effect on the surface of the skin.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the transitional biological effect can be one of erythema, edema, and a transitional coagulative point.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the optically visible effect on the surface of the skin can be at least one of at least one of increasing skin elasticity, reducing skin oiliness, reducing skin pore size, smoothing skin texture, reducing hyperpigmentation, treating and/or preventing acne, reducing a blemish, reducing an appearance of spider veins and/or rosacea, reducing an appearance of scars, reducing an appearance of stretch marks, rejuvenating skin, increasing collagen in the subcutaneous tissue, tightening of sagging sink, rejuvenating photoaged skin, increasing a thickness of a dermal layer, reducing a wrinkle on the skin surface, generating new tissue in the subcutaneous layer, and combinations thereof.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the permanent biological effect can be at least one of is at least one of stimulating or increase an amount of heat shock proteins, cause white blood cells to promote healing of tissue, accelerating ta wound healing cascade in the subcutaneous tissue, increasing the blood perfusion in the subcutaneous tissue, encouraging collagen growth, increasing the liberation of cytokines, peaking inflammation, partially shrinking collagen, denaturing of proteins in the subcutaneous tissue, and combinations thereof.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the permanent biological effect is at least one of creating immediate or delayed cell death, collagen remodeling, disrupting or modifying of biochemical cascades, producing new collagen, stimulating cell growth, stimulating angiogenesis, stimulating a cell permeability response, enhancing delivery of medicants to tissue, and combinations thereof.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising administering a medicant to the surface and the subsurface of the skin.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising activating the medicant in at least one of the surface and the subsurface of the skin with the ultrasound energy at the same frequency or a different frequency.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising delivering a secondary energy to the surface and the subsurface of the skin.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the secondary energy is a photon-based energy.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the optically visible effect to the surface of the skin is a cosmetic effect.

12. A method for improving an appearance of a skin surface, the method comprising:

locating a targeted portion of skin surface;

delivering ultrasound energy to subcutaneous tissue below the skin surface;

producing a biological effect in at least one of the skin surface and the subcutaneous tissue; and

improving the appearance of the targeted portion of the skin surface.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising driving a medicant to the subcutaneous tissue below the skin surface.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising activating the medicant in the region of interest with the ultrasound energy at the same frequency or a different frequency.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising driving a cosmeceutical to the subcutaneous tissue below the skin surface.

16. The method according to claim 12, further comprising delivering a secondary energy to the subcutaneous tissue below the skin surface.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the secondary energy is a photon-based energy.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the secondary energy is radio frequency based energy.

19. The method according to claim 12, wherein the biological effect is at least one of stimulating or increase an amount of heat shock proteins, cause white blood cells to promote healing of a portion of the subcutaneous tissue, accelerating a wound healing cascade in the subcutaneous tissue, increasing the blood perfusion in the subcutaneous tissue, encouraging collagen growth in the subcutaneous tissue, increasing the liberation of cytokines within the subcutaneous layer, peaking inflammation in the subcutaneous tissue, partially shrinking collagen in a portion of the subcutaneous tissue, denaturing of proteins in the subcutaneous tissue, and combinations thereof

20. The method according to claim 12, wherein the biological effect is at least one of creating immediate or delayed cell death in the subcutaneous tissue, collagen remodeling in the subcutaneous tissue, disrupting or modifying of biochemical cascades in at least one of the skin surface and the subcutaneous tissue, producing new collagen in the subcutaneous tissue, stimulating cell growth in the subcutaneous tissue, stimulating angiogenesis, stimulating a cell permeability response, enhancing delivery of medicants to in the subcutaneous tissue, and combinations thereof.

21. The method according to claim 12, wherein the improving the appearance of the targeted portion of the skin surface comprises at least one of increasing skin elasticity, reducing skin oiliness, reducing skin pore size, smoothing skin texture, reducing hyperpigmentation, treating and/or preventing acne, reducing a blemish, reducing an appearance of spider veins and/or rosacea, reducing an appearance of scars, reducing an appearance of stretch marks, rejuvenating skin, increasing collagen in the subcutaneous tissue, tightening of sagging sink, rejuvenating photoaged skin, increasing a thickness of a dermal layer, reducing a wrinkle on the skin surface, generating new tissue in the subcutaneous layer, and combinations thereof.

22. A system for improving the appearance of a skin surface, the system comprising:

a hand-held probe comprising;

an ultrasound transducer;

an indicator display;

at least one input/output control;

a position sensor; and

a rechargeable battery configured to power the hand-held probe;

a controller configured to control the hand-held probe; and

a wireless interface configured to couple communication between the controller and the hand-held probe.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the controller is at least one of a personal data assistant, a cell phone, an iPhone, an iPad, a computer, a laptop, and a netbook.

24. The system according to claim 22, wherein the transducer is configured as a 2 dimensional linear array.

25. The system according to claim 22, wherein the ultrasound transducer is configured to simultaneously create a first conformal region of elevated temperature and second conformal region of elevated temperature in subcutaneous tissue.

26. The system according to claim 24, wherein the first conformal region of elevated temperature and second conformal region of elevated temperature intersect in the subcutaneous tissue.

27. The system according to claim 24, wherein the first conformal region of elevated temperature and second conformal region of elevated temperature are positioned perpendicular to each other in the subcutaneous tissue.