Methods for treating skin conditions using laser

• US 8,540,703 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2011
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutronic Corporation (Lutronic, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lutronic Corporation (Lutronic, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hwang, Hae Lyung, Gong, Sung Huan, Li, Jing Mei
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, Bill
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIPITZ, JEFFREY BRIAN
• Application Number:
  US13/279,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20120041522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 606/4, 606/9, 128/898
• US Class Current: 606/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0659 infrared
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0616 Skin treatment other than tanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/062 Photodynamic therapy, i.e. excitation of an agent
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/067 using laser light

Abstract

Methods of treating a portion of skin are disclosed. A carbon lotion is applied to a portion of skin comprising one or more enlarged pores or one or more indicators of aging. The carbon lotion is allowed to remain on the portion of skin for a period of time, and, upon expiration of the period of time, excess carbon lotion is removed from the portion of skin. The portion of skin is irradiated with one or more first laser pulses and one or more second laser pulses. A laser producing the first and second laser pulses has an oscillation wavelength of 1064 nm.

Claims

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

applying a carbon lotion to a portion of skin

irradiating the portion of skin with one or more first laser pulses, wherein each of the one or more first laser pulses has a first pulse width in a range of 100 μ

s to 1000 μ

s; and

irradiating the portion of skin with one or more second laser pulses, wherein a laser producing the first and second laser pulses has an oscillation wavelength of 1064 nm, wherein each of the one or more second pulses has a second pulse width in a range of about 5 ns to about 50 ns.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser comprises a pulsed Nd:

YAG laser.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more first laser pulses has a pulse width of about 300 μ

s.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein irradiating the portion of skin with one or more first laser pulses comprises irradiating the portion of skin with one or more first laser pulses with minimal overlapping.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein irradiating the portion of skin with one or more first laser pulses comprises irradiating the portion of skin with one or more first laser pulses in a single pass over the portion of skin.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein irradiating the portion of skin with one or more second laser pulses comprises irradiating the portion of skin with one or more second laser pulses that are generated by the laser operating in a Q-switched mode.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the one or more second laser pulses has a pulse width in a range of about 5 ns to about 7 ns.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein irradiating the portion of skin with one or more second laser pulses comprises:

ablating one or more carbon particles from the carbon lotion that is within one or more enlarged pores in the portion of skin causing at least partial ablation of a stratum corenum of the portion of skin, and

causing one or more photoacoustic or photoosmotic shockwaves to penetrate the portion of skin and stimulate one or more skin cells within the portion of skin.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to irradiating the portion of the skin with the one or more first laser pulses and the one or more second laser pulses, removing excess carbon lotion from the portion of skin.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to irradiating the portion of the skin with the one or more first laser pulses and the one or more second laser pulses, removing excess carbon lotion from the portion of skin.

9. A method of treating a portion of skin, the method comprising:

applying a carbon lotion to a portion of skin comprising one or more indicators of aging;

irradiating the portion of skin with one or more first laser pulses, wherein each of the one or more first laser pulses has a first pulse width in a range of 100 μ

s to 1000 μ

s; and

irradiating the portion of skin with one or more second laser pulses, wherein a laser producing the first and second laser pulses has an oscillation wavelength of 1064 nm, wherein each of the one or more second pulses has a second pulse width in a range of about 5 ns to about 50 ns.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the laser comprises a pulsed Nd:

YAG laser.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the one or more first laser pulses has a pulse width of about 300 μ

s.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein irradiating the portion of skin with one or more first laser pulses comprises irradiating the portion of skin with one or more first laser pulses with minimal overlapping.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein irradiating the portion of skin with one or more first laser pulses comprises irradiating the portion of skin with one or more first laser pulses in a single pass over the portion of skin.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein irradiating the portion of skin with one or more second laser pulses comprises irradiating the portion of skin with one or more second laser pulses that are generated by the laser operating in a Q-switched mode.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the one or more second laser pulses has a pulse width in a range of about 5 ns to about 7 ns.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the portion of skin comprises one or more indicators of photoaging skin.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein the portion of skin comprises one or more indicators of chronological-aging skin.