Method for dermatological treatment using chromophores

• US 8,268,332 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Inventors: Manstein, Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Sajjadi, Fereydoun G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Buckley, Audrea
• Application Number:
  US10/599,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20070264288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,727 Days
• Field of Search: 424/400
• US Class Current: 424/400
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1477 Needle-like probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/18 by applying electromagnetic radiation, e.g. microwaves radiation therapy A61N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00005 Cooling or heating of the probe or tissue immediately surrounding the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0016 Energy applicators arranged in a two- or three dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0019 vibrating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/143 multiple needles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2005 with beam delivery through an interstitially insertable device, e.g. needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2211 Plurality of fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4893 Nerves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/048 Anaesthetics
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/158 Needles for infusions; Accessories therefor, e.g. for inserting infusion needles, or for holding them on the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 17/00 Drugs for dermatological disorders

Abstract

The present invention encompasses methods that use heat and/or electromagnetic radiation for dermatological treatment and more particularly to a method that uses heat and/or electromagnetic radiation in combination with chromophores for fractional wounding and, in particular, discontinuous fractional damage of skin tissue.

Claims

1. A method for fractional wounding of skin, comprising:

applying at least one chromophore in a specific pattern to a predetermined area of the skin, wherein the specific pattern corresponds to a desired pattern of fractional wounding of the skin; and

applying electromagnetic radiation to the predetermined area of the skin so as to produce a plurality of thermally-damaged regions in an epidermal portion of the skin based on an interaction between the at least one chromophore and the electromagnetic radiation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing a first portion of the at least one chromophore from a surface of the skin prior to applying the electromagnetic radiation, wherein a second portion of the at least one chromophore remains in pores of the skin.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one chromophore is applied to the skin as a powder.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the specific pattern is applied using at least one of a grid, a mesh, a roller, a stamp or a stencil.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the specific pattern is applied using an attachment medium.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the attachment medium is an adhesive.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the attachment medium is light-activated.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the attachment medium is at least one of an acrylide, a derma-bond or a glue.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one chromophore comprises carbon.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one chromophore is a phase transition chromophore.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the phase transition chromophore comprises paraffin.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the specific pattern comprises at least one line.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiation has properties to generate a thermal injury to at least one region of the tissue proximal to the at least one chromophore, while avoiding a generation of the thermal injury in at least a portion of the predetermined area.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein a smallest dimension of the plurality of thermally damaged regions of the tissue is between about 1 μ

m and about 1000 μ

m.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein a smallest dimension of the plurality of thermally damaged regions of the tissue is between about 100 μ

m and about 800 μ

m.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein a distance between adjacent ones of the thermally damaged regions of the tissue is between about 10 μ

m and about 2000 μ

m.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermally-damaged regions are further produced in a dermal portion of the skin.

9. A method for fractional wounding of skin, comprising;

applying at least one chromophore to a predetermined area of the skin; and

applying a mask with a specific pattern over the predetermined area of the skin, wherein the specific pattern corresponds to a desired pattern of fractional wounding of the skin; and

applying electromagnetic radiation to the predetermined area so as to generate regions of a thermal injury in an epidermal portion of the skin based on an interaction between the electromagnetic radiation and the at least one chromophore, wherein the regions are formed in a predetermined pattern.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the mask is at least one of a grid, a mesh, a roller, a stamp or a stencil.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the mask protects the skin from fractional wounding and wherein the fractional wounding occurs where the skin is not in contact with the mask.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the mask is at least one of a grid, a mesh or a stencil.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the mask comprises at least one chromophore reflector.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the at least one chromophore reflector is at least one of a glass bead, a gold flake, a metal particle, a mirrored glass bead, a salt crystal, or a silica.

24. The method of claim 9, wherein the regions of the thermal injury are further generated in a dermal portion of the skin.