Method and apparatus for dermatological treatment and tissue reshaping

• US 9,095,357 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2010
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• 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): FARAH, AHMED M
• Application Number:
  US12/914,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20110046615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,741 Days
• Field of Search: 606/27, 606/28, 606/31, 606/32, 606 41- 50, 607/96, 607100-102, 607108-112, 128/898
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 see also A61M19/00
• 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 provides improved methods and apparatus for skin treatment and tissue remodeling. The apparatus includes an array of needles that penetrate the skin and serve as electrodes to deliver radio frequency current or other electrical or optical energy into the tissue being treated, causing thermal damage in controlled patterns. The damaged regions promote beneficial results such as uniform skin tightening by stimulation of wound healing and collagen growth.

Claims

1. A skin treatment method comprising:

inserting a plurality of needles into a dermal layer of skin, the plurality of needles being attached to a base, the plurality of needles being further configured to receive radio frequency (RF) energy from a RF energy source; and

regulating delivery of the RF energy from the RF energy source to the plurality of needles to induce a pattern of fractional damage by the RF energy in the dermal layer when the needles are inserted therein, wherein the regulation of the delivery of the RF energy is configured to stimulate formation of new collagen in the skin.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of needles are associated with each other in groups of bipolar pairs, wherein regulating the delivery of the RF energy includes controlling the RF energy being delivered to bipolar pairs to cause areas of non-ablative damage within the dermal layer, and wherein each area of non-ablative damage is associated with each bipolar pair of the plurality of needles.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of needles is a mono-polar needle.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting an application-specific setting for the energy source to cause the energy source to vary at least one of a duration, intensity, and sequence of the RF energy transmitted to the plurality of needles based on the selected setting.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of needles have differing lengths.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising cooling a surface of the skin when inserting the plurality of needles into the dermal layer of skin.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of needles is a hollow needle, and further comprising delivering an analgesic via the hollow needle to tissue surrounding a tip of the hollow needle.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a presence of a nerve near a tip of at least one of the plurality of needles.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting the plurality of needles into the dermal layer of skin comprises passing the plurality of needles through a plurality of holes formed in a spacer disposed between the base and a surface of the dermal layer of skin, wherein the plurality of needles are movable relative to the spacer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein regulating delivery of RF energy further includes inducing damaged regions surrounding each tip of each of the plurality of needles, with substantially undamaged regions between the damaged regions.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the needles has a tip, wherein the pattern of fractional damage includes at least two adjacent regions of thermal damage, and wherein each adjacent region of thermal damage includes a small localized area of thermal damage surrounding each tip.

12. A skin treatment method, comprising:

inserting a plurality of needles into a dermal layer of skin, the plurality of needles being attached to a base, the plurality of needles being further configured to receive radio frequency (RF) energy from a RF energy source; and

regulating delivery of the RF energy from the RF energy source to the plurality of needles to cause a pattern of fractional damage to be produced in the dermal layer in a vicinity of the tips of the needles,

wherein regulating the delivery of the RF energy is controlled to cause a pattern of regions of thermal damage within the dermal layer, and wherein at least two adjacent regions of thermal damage have an undamaged region therebetween.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the thermal damage to the dermal layer includes necrosis.

14. A skin treatment method comprising:

inserting a plurality of needles into a dermal layer of skin, the plurality of needles being attached to a base, the plurality of needles being further configured to receive radio frequency (RF) energy from a RF energy source;

regulating delivery of the RF energy from the RF energy source to the plurality of needles to cause a pattern of fractional damage to be produced in the dermal layer surrounding the needles; and

vibrating at least one of the plurality of needles.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein vibrating at least one of the plurality of needles includes generating a vibration at a frequency of between about 10 Hz to about 10 kHz.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein vibrating at least one of the plurality of needles includes generating a vibration at an amplitude of between about 50 μ

m and about 500 μ

m.

17. A skin treatment method comprising:

inserting a plurality of needles into a dermal layer of skin, the plurality of needles being attached to a base and arranged in a group of bipolar pairs, the plurality of needles being further configured to receive radio frequency (RF) energy from a RF energy source; and

regulating delivery of the RF energy from the RF energy source to the plurality of needles to induce a pattern of fractional damage by the RF energy in the dermal layer when the needles are inserted therein,

wherein the pattern of fractional damage includes damaged regions between tips of needles of the bipolar pairs, and substantially undamaged regions between bipolar pairs of needles in the group.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the damaged regions are elongated between the needles of the bipolar pairs.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the fractional damage is sufficient to cause necrosis.

20. A skin treatment method comprising:

inserting a plurality of monopolar needles into a dermal layer of skin, the plurality of monopolar needles being attached to a base and configured to receive radio frequency (RF) energy from a RF energy source; and

regulating delivery of the RF energy from the RF energy source to the plurality of needles to induce a pattern of fractional damage by the RF energy in the dermal layer when the needles are inserted therein,

wherein the pattern of fractional damage includes damaged regions in a vicinity of each tip of each of the plurality of monopolar needles, and substantially undamaged regions between the damaged regions.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the fractional damage is sufficient to cause necrosis.