Method of removing and preventing regrowth of hair
First Claim
1. A method of preventing regrowth of hair upon a patient'"'"'s skin, said method comprising:
- determining the location and depth of at least one region of a dermal papilla during a telogen phase of hair growth, relative to the skin surface of said patient by acoustic imaging of an area of and beneath said patient'"'"'s skin;
selecting at least one region of a dermal papilla during a telogen phase of hair growth, to be treated, where the location and depth of said at least one dermal papilla region is indexed to a digital map produced during said acoustic imaging;
transcutaneously focusing high intensity acoustic energy at a location and depth of said at least one dermal papilla region to be treated, wherein said focusing is in accordance with an indexed digital map; and
applying sufficient high intensity acoustic energy to raise said at least one dermal papilla region to a sufficient temperature for a time sufficient to destroy said dermal papilla region, whereby regrowth of hair is prevented.
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Abstract
Hair is permanently removed from a patient'"'"'s skin by transcutaneously focusing high intensity acoustic energy at hair follicles and at dermal papilla regions during a telogen phase of hair growth and applying sufficient energy to destroy said follicles and said dermal papilla regions, so that hair is removed and regrowth is prevented. Typically, a region of a patient'"'"'s skin is first ultrasonically imaged to show the location of a plurality of individual hair follicles and dermal papilla regions. The imaged hair follicles and dermal papilla regions are then treated using a system which automatically directs high intensity acoustic energy at each follicle and dermal papilla region.
75 Citations
11 Claims
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1. A method of preventing regrowth of hair upon a patient'"'"'s skin, said method comprising:
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determining the location and depth of at least one region of a dermal papilla during a telogen phase of hair growth, relative to the skin surface of said patient by acoustic imaging of an area of and beneath said patient'"'"'s skin; selecting at least one region of a dermal papilla during a telogen phase of hair growth, to be treated, where the location and depth of said at least one dermal papilla region is indexed to a digital map produced during said acoustic imaging; transcutaneously focusing high intensity acoustic energy at a location and depth of said at least one dermal papilla region to be treated, wherein said focusing is in accordance with an indexed digital map; and applying sufficient high intensity acoustic energy to raise said at least one dermal papilla region to a sufficient temperature for a time sufficient to destroy said dermal papilla region, whereby regrowth of hair is prevented. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of removing hair from a patient'"'"'s skin and of preventing regrowth of hair upon a patient'"'"'s skin, said method comprising:
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placing a hand-held device containing at least one acoustic transducer in contact with said patient'"'"'s skin; scanning an acoustic transducer present within said hand-held device over said skin surface to identify depth and location of at least one hair follicle and at least one dermal papilla region during a telogen phase of hair growth beneath said skin surface, without moving said hand-held device; selecting at least one hair follicle and at least one dermal papilla region to be treated, where the location and depth of said at least one hair follicle and at least one dermal papilla region to be treated are indexed to a digital map obtained during scanning of said acoustic transducer over said skin surface; transcutaneously focusing high intensity acoustic energy at a depth and location identified for each hair follicle and dermal papilla region to be treated; and applying to each hair follicle and dermal papilla region to be treated sufficient high intensity acoustic energy to destroy said hair follicle and said dermal papilla region. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification