System and method for the photodynamic treatment of burns, wounds, and related skin disorders

Abstract

Human and mammalian skin undergoes a variety of changes associated with chronological aging. Various environmental factors, disease states and genetic disorders may accelerate both the appearance of aging skin and also the structural and functional changes associated with aging skin. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is one of the classic known and well-defined means of accelerating or worsening the aging of the skin and this is frequently termed photoaging. Other environmental factors, such as oxidative stress, free radicals, environmental toxins such as ozone and cultural customs or habits such as tobacco smoking are other known probe accelerators in photo aging skin. A wide variety of other factors known and unknown contribute to accelerated or premature aging of the skin. This invention discusses methods where electromagnetic radiation, in particular, light, can be used to photobiomodulate the activity of living cells to delay, diminish, retard or even reverse the structural and functional effects of aging of the skin and other living cells and tissues. In particular methods described for improving the appearance, structure, function of aging skin, including up and down regulating the genotypic markers for the phenotype of aging skin.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] This invention relates to method and devices for the photodynamic regulation of cell proliferation and gene expression. In particular, the invention relates to the reducing, reversing, and / or diminishing the effects of sunburn, thermal burns, chemical burns, radiation burns, various types of wounds, such as traumatic, surgical, laser, chemical peel, cosmetic surgery, warfare agents or injuries, freezing, hypoxia, vascular insufficiency, bruising, chronic ulcers, etc., allergic reactions or contact dermatitis, and various inflammatory diseases. [0003] 2. Description of the Background [0004] Chronological aging, “photo-aging”, i.e., the aging of skin caused by exposure to natural and synthetic light sources, disease, and trauma all bring about changes in the appearance of human and mammalian skin as well as changes in the structure and function of the skin. All living cells, tissues and organs also undergo changes ass...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0023] One embodiment of the invention relates to reducing the undesirable effects and enhancing the beneficial effects of narrowband and wideband multichromatic electromagnetic radiation, as well as monochromatic radiation, emitted by sources including, but not limited to lasers (monochromatic and filtered, narrowband multichromatic), LED's (narrowband multichromatic), radio frequency, electromagnetic therapy or non ablative thermally mediated surgical procedures, etc. For example, LED photomodulation and other similar non-LED therapies may be used to enhance the desired effects or inhibit the undesirable one. This may be accomplished via means such as thermal injury to the skin which forces the expression of MMP and causing an increase structural proteins like collagen. LED light sources may also boost collagen while decreasing the upregulated MMP to produce a beneficial net effect. Such means generally quench the inflammatory processes that thermal therapies typically produce.

Problems solved by technology

These type of injuries produce not only damaged cells, but dying cells.

Damaged cells may either repair the damage and return to normal, repair the damage imperfectly and produce an abnormal or sub-optimally functioning cell, or the cells may die.

That is a wrinkle is really the result of accumulation of imperfectly repaired cell damage.

The pertinent arts have, heretofore, been unable to produce a system or method for reviving or rescuing necrotic cells or those in advanced stages of necrosis.

Typically these wound repair mechanisms are imperfect which is considered by many to be a solar scar.

The more destructive and traumatic methods use chemicals to peel off the stratum comium epidermis and often a portion of the dermis or they mechanically abraded by sand papering or dermabrating or more recently high-energy thermal lasers have been used to vaporize or coagulate the skin.

These methods have a prolonged and painful wounding period and require wound care and patients typically must limit their daily social and business activities during the wound-healing phase.

These methods are notoriously known for producing many problems and sometimes even disfiguring scarring or catastrophic pigment changes in the skin.

However, properly performed and with good wound care, many people achieved significant and sometimes dramatic anti-aging effects.

Non-ablative methods have typically been thermal in nature and through various means of laser light, intense pulsed light, radio frequency or microwave energy delivery then produced a thermal injury to the dermis.

Results are occasionally traumatic but have been extremely variable with this therapy.

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