Medical device and method for treating skin disease

Abstract

Methods and systems for treating skin disease are disclosed. Heat is applied at a controlled temperature, for a predetermined period of time, to a skin lesion associated with a skin disease according to embodiments. The temperature used, according to embodiments, is in a range between about 46-62° C., and controlled within a narrow tolerance depending upon the nature of the skin treatment.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a continuation of co-pending, commonly assigned, patent application Ser. No. 10 / 428,253 entitled “Medical Device For Treating Skin Itch And Rash,” filed May 3, 2003, which itself is a continuation-in-part of patent application Ser. No. 10 / 165,893 entitled “Method And Apparatus For Treatment Of Skin Itch And Disease,” filed Jun. 10, 2002, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. This application is also a continuation-in-part of the application Ser. No. 09 / 758,706 filed on Jan. 11, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,635,075, which derives from a chain of continuations-in-part including Ser. No. 09 / 502,992 filed on Feb. 11, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,093, Ser. No. 09 / 183,639 filed on Oct. 30, 1998, now abandoned, and 08 / 698,323 filed on Aug. 14, 1996, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08 / 254,273 filed Jun. 6, 1994, now abandoned, and Ser. No. 08 / 131,987...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is a heating apparatus that can be used for skin itching and other skin problems. The apparatus has two unique features: it can provide a specific temperature and it can maintain that temperature for a specific treatment. The apparatus is simple, inexpensive, and portable. The apparatus includes a housing with a contact end, heating means, control means, power source means, and a planar heat transfer surface. The apparatus can also have signaling means to indicate the skin temperature and can have a heating surface that can be moved and has a periodic motion. The apparatus can also have additional temperatures and a grid with protrusions. The technical effects of the invention are that it provides a specific and effective treatment for skin problems and is easy to use."

Problems solved by technology

Since UV can also cause DNA damage, skin-cancer and skin aging, it is not the ideal means to activate stress-genes.

However, the use of heat in the treatment of skin itch and rash is different from such treatment for other skin problems.

These toddlers will not allow you to apply such a heat, and in the case of a metal heater, for enough time, such as for at least 1-2 seconds, that is required to heat the dermis to the effective temperature.

Therefore, the mast cells cannot be inactivated and the itch will be worsened.

If 50° C. is used for adult leg skin, which is thicker than the face skin, the itch will not be stopped, and side effects, such as edema and rebound of itch, may result.

The reason for this is because if the skin is heated up too fast, pain will result, and if heated too slowly, the itch will worsen.

However, none of these is effective against skin itch and rash, because none of them accurately and precisely apply the required temperatures for treating itch and rash.

They have to provide temperatures not significantly higher than 43° C., otherwise, they will cause burning.

This method obviously can not be done with the amount of control required to effect the best effective temperature, or with control of the time of application.

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