Method for reducing pain of dermatological treatments

• US 9,364,287 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2008
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solta Medical, Inc. (Bausch Health Cos., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Reliant Technologies, Inc. (Bausch Health Cos., Inc.)
• Inventors: DeBenedictis, Leonard C., Dallarosa, Joseph L.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOODWARD, VALERIE LYNN
• Application Number:
  US12/134,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20080306418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,931 Days
• Field of Search: 601/2, 601/3, 601/15, 601/16, 601/80, 601/160, 604/289, 604/310, 604/311, 606/9, 607/107
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/203 applying laser energy to the outside of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00005 Cooling or heating of the probe or tissue immediately surrounding the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 9/0007 Pulsating
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 9/005 Pneumatic massage
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 9/0071 by localized pressure, e.g. air streams or jets

Abstract

A method of reducing the level of pain experienced by a patient during a pain-inducing dermatological treatment by using non-pharmacologic means is described. The method employs the use of multiple bursts of a gas to stimulate a touch sensation in or near the tissue to be treated using the dermatological treatment in order to reduce and/or relieve pain. The method can be used alone or can be used in combination with other non-pharmacologic and/or pharmacologic methods of relieving pain in order to make a patient more comfortable during or following the dermatological treatment.

Claims

1. A method of reducing the level of pain experienced by a patient during a pain-inducing dermatological treatment, comprising:

stimulating a touch sensation in a patient in an area in or near a region of tissue to be treated during a pain-inducing dermatological treatment,

wherein the stimulating of the touch sensation is achieved by directing multiple bursts of a gas at or near the region of tissue so as to reduce the level of pain experienced by the patient during the pain-inducing dermatological treatment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the pain-inducing dermatological treatment to a patient.

13. The method of claim 1 or 3, wherein the gas comprises nitrogen.

3. A method of reducing the dosage of anesthetic required by a patient undergoing a pain-inducing dermatological treatment, comprising:

stimulating a touch sensation in a patient in an area in or near a region of tissue to be treated during a pain-inducing dermatological treatment,

wherein the stimulating of the touch sensation is achieved by directing multiple bursts of a gas at or near the region of tissue, and

wherein the stimulating of the touch sensation reduces the dosage of anesthetic required to reduce the level of pain experienced by a patient undergoing the pain-inducing dermatological treatment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the method comprises stimulating a touch sensation in the region of tissue to be treated by the pain-inducing dermatological treatment.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the method comprises stimulating a touch sensation in a region of tissue immediately adjacent to the region of tissue to be treated by the pain-inducing dermatological treatment.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the method comprises stimulating a touch sensation in a region of tissue which is larger than and encompasses the region of tissue to be treated by the pain-inducing dermatological treatment.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the region of tissue to be treated comprises human skin.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the multiple bursts of gas are delivered at a rate between about 5 bursts per second and about 100 bursts per second.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the multiple bursts of gas are delivered at a rate between about 5 bursts per second and about 50 bursts per second.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the multiple bursts of gas are delivered at a rate between about 10 bursts per second and about 30 bursts per second.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the multiple bursts of gas comprise bursts of pressurized gas.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein the gas comprises air.

14. The method of claim 3, wherein the temperature of the gas is approximately ambient temperature as it contacts the tissue.

15. The method of claim 3, wherein the temperature of the gas is between about 20°

C. and about 30°

C. as it contacts the tissue.

16. The method of claim 3, wherein the temperature of the gas is below about 20°

C. as it contacts the tissue.

17. The method of claim 3, wherein the temperature of the gas is above about 30°

C. as it contacts the tissue.

18. The method of claim 3, wherein the pain-inducing dermatological treatment comprises an optical energy based treatment.

19. The method of claim 3, wherein the pain-inducing dermatological treatment comprises a laser treatment.

20. The method of claim 3, wherein the average pain score experienced by a patient undergoing the pain-inducing dermatological treatment in conjunction with the stimulating is at least 1 point less on a 10 point pain scale than the average pain score experienced by a patient undergoing the pain-inducing dermatological treatment in the absence of the stimulating, where a score of zero is no pain and a score of 10 is the worst pain imaginable.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the topical anesthetic is selected from the group consisting of lidocaine, prilocaine, tetracaine, benzocaine, dibucaine, oxybuprocaine, pramoxine, proparacaine, proxymetacaine, and combinations thereof.

22. The method of claim 3, wherein the average pain score experienced by a patient undergoing the pain-inducing dermatological treatment in conjunction with the stimulating is at least 2 points less on a 10 point pain scale than the average pain score experienced by a patient undergoing the pain-inducing dermatological treatment in the absence of the stimulating, where a score of zero is no pain and a score of 10 is the worst pain imaginable.

23. The method of claim 3, wherein the anesthetic comprises a topical anesthetic.

24. The method of claim 3, wherein the dosage of anesthetic required to reduce the level of pain experienced by a patient undergoing the pain-inducing dermatological treatment in conjunction with the stimulating is at least 20% less than the dosage of anesthetic required to reduce the level of pain experienced by a patient undergoing the pain-inducing dermatological treatment in the absence of the stimulating.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein a dosage of anesthetic required to reduce the level of pain experienced by a patient undergoing the pain-inducing dermatological treatment in the absence of the stimulating comprises the dosage of anesthetic required to prevent the patient from experiencing pain in excess of a pain score of 8 on a 10 point pain scale, where a score of zero is no pain and a score of 10 is the worst pain imaginable.

26. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing the pain-inducing dermatological treatment to a patient.