Laser device for laser treatment of skin lesions under dermal vasoconstriction

Abstract

The laser device can provide instant, precise, and stable laser therapy, which: (i) minimizes post-treatment adverse reactions, such as hyperpigmentation, erythema, etc., by inducing vasoconstriction using a cooling device and administering the laser treatment of the skin lesion under vasoconstriction to minimize the occurrence of inflammation from irradiation of the laser to normal tissue and capillary loops when using a laser to treat skin pigmentation; (ii) minimizes adverse reactions associated with the laser treatment by quickly and precisely terminating the laser treatment by specifically targeting the lesion by taking and analyzing images of the skin lesion under site-specific vasoconstriction performed by using a cooling device; (iii) prevents or significantly delays the occurrence of haze on the optically transparent member by using a cooling method; (iv) ensures complete contact between the skin contacting surface of the optically transparent member and the skin lesion by using a sensor; (v) targets the laser beam using a scanner; and (vi) ensures complete coverage of the laser irradiation of the skin lesion by applying the laser beam in an overlapping manner.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of prior Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0189833, filed December 31, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Technical Field The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for dermatological laser treatment. [Background technology]

[0003] background Laser therapy has been widely used in dermatology to treat various vascular and pigmented skin lesions, tattoos, and benign skin tumors. Among these, the skin lesions most commonly treated with lasers are pigmented skin lesions, such as seborrheic keratosis, melasma, freckles, solar lentigines, melanocytic nevi, and dermal melanocytes.

[0004] Pigmented skin lesions are caused by an excessive increase in the amount of melanin in the skin. Melanin is synthesized in dendritic cells called melanocytes, which are present in the basal layer of the skin. When there is an excess amount of melanin or when there are locations where melanin is normally absent, such a condition can be diagnosed as a pigmented skin lesion. Sometimes, such pigmented skin lesions can cause the epidermis to proliferate or shrink, or can pathologically alter some elements of the skin, such as various skin appendages in the dermis.

[0005] Generally, excessive production of melanin in the skin is caused by exposure of the skin to ultraviolet light or inflammation of the skin. Excessive production of melanin, or the transfer of already produced melanin to keratinocytes due to irritation, can result in various pigmented lesions or can worsen pre-existing pigmented lesions.

[0006] Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is a reaction of epidermal melanocytes and various dermal cells to skin irritation. It results from an abnormal distribution of existing melanin or an increase in melanin at the site of the wound. Ultimately, the excess melanin causes excessive hyperpigmentation at the site of inflammation. The duration of hyperpigmentation is influenced by local or systemic factors and, in some cases, can last for a long period of time—months to years. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] overview A laser device for treating skin lesions may include: (i) a laser source; (ii) an optically transparent member including a top surface forming a laser transmitting surface and a bottom surface forming a skin contacting surface, the optically transparent member allowing a therapeutic laser beam from the laser source to transmit from the laser transmitting surface to the skin contacting surface; (iii) a cooling unit that cools the skin contacting surface of the optically transparent member, thereby allowing vasoconstriction to occur in the treatment site by cooling the treatment site using the skin contacting surface; (iv) a control unit that controls the cooling unit and controls the laser source so that the therapeutic laser beam is irradiated to the skin lesion in the treatment site under vasoconstriction; and (v) a heater attached to the optically transparent member, wherein the control unit controls the heater to prevent or delay fogging on the optically transparent member.

[0008] In some embodiments, the laser device may further include a camera that obtains an image of the treatment area in contact with the skin-contacting surface.

[0009] In some embodiments, the optically transparent member may include a first optically transparent portion having a top surface that forms the laser transparent surface; and a second optically transparent portion located at a bottom of the first optically transparent portion and having a bottom surface that forms the skin-contacting surface, wherein the second optically transparent portion having a skin-contacting surface is constructed of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the first optically transparent portion.

[0010] In some embodiments, the cooling unit may include a thermoelectric element and a conductive member having the thermoelectric element attached to one side and the second light-transmitting portion attached to the other side, thereby cooling the second light-transmitting portion by conducting heat through the thermoelectric element.

[0011] In some embodiments, the light-transmitting member may include: i) a first light-transmitting portion having an upper surface that forms the transmission surface; ii) a second light-transmitting portion located at the bottom of the first light-transmitting portion and forming the skin-contacting surface; and iii) a beam splitter located between the first light-transmitting portion and the second light-transmitting portion, which transmits the laser beam and reflects light reflected from the skin-contacting surface to one side; and further includes a camera that obtains an image of the treatment area in contact with the skin-contacting surface from the light reflected from the beam splitter.

[0012] In some embodiments, a light adjustment unit can adjust a target position of a laser beam passing through the light-transmitting member, wherein the control unit can identify a location of a skin lesion by analyzing an image obtained by the camera; can control the light adjustment unit using a location on the identified skin lesion as a target location; and can cause the laser beam to be irradiated at the target location.

[0013] In some embodiments, the conductive member may include: a conductive base attached to a heat-absorbing plate of the thermoelectric element to conduct heat; and a conductive bridge that cools the second light-transmitting portion by conducting heat between the conductive base and the second light-transmitting portion and forms a separation between the conductive base and the second light-transmitting portion.

[0014] In some embodiments, a thermal insulating material may be embedded in the space between the conductive base and the second light-transmitting portion.

[0015] In some embodiments, the light-transmitting member may be configured by stacking first and second light-transmitting blocks having different heat transfer coefficients alternately from the laser-transmitting surface to the skin-contacting surface.

[0016] In some embodiments, a temperature maintenance means may further be included to maintain the temperature of the light transmitting member within a set range, preventing or delaying fogging of the light transmitting member by the cooling unit.

[0017] In some embodiments, a heater attached to one side of the light-transmitting member may further be included on one side of the light-transmitting member; and the control unit may control the heater to prevent or delay fogging of the light-transmitting member by the cooling unit.

[0018] An apparatus for treating skin lesions may include: (i) a laser source; (ii) an optically transparent member including a top surface forming a laser transmitting surface and a bottom surface forming a skin contact surface, the optically transparent member allowing a therapeutic laser beam from the laser source to transmit from the laser transmitting surface to the skin contact surface, the optically transparent member including first optically transparent blocks having a first heat transfer coefficient and second optically transparent blocks having a second heat transfer coefficient, the first optically transparent blocks and the second optically transparent blocks being stacked alternately from the laser transmitting surface to the skin contact surface; (iii) a cooling unit that cools the skin contact surface of the optically transparent member, thereby inducing vasoconstriction in the treatment site by cooling the treatment site using the skin contact surface; and (iv) a control unit that controls the cooling unit and controls the laser source to allow a therapeutic laser beam to be irradiated to the skin lesion in the treatment site under vasoconstriction.

[0019] In some embodiments, the laser device may further include a heater attached to the light-transmitting member, the control unit controlling the heater to prevent or delay fogging on the light-transmitting member.

[0020] In some embodiments, the laser device may further include a camera that obtains an image of the treatment area in contact with the skin-contacting surface.

[0021] A laser device for treating skin lesions may include: (i) a laser source; (ii) an optically transparent member including a top surface forming a laser transmitting surface and a bottom surface forming a skin contacting surface, allowing a therapeutic laser beam from the laser source to transmit from the laser transmitting surface to the skin contacting surface; (iii) a cooling unit that cools the skin contacting surface of the optically transparent member, thereby inducing vasoconstriction in the treatment site by cooling the treatment site using the skin contacting surface; (iv) a control unit that controls the cooling unit and controls the laser source so that the therapeutic laser beam can be irradiated to skin lesions in the treatment site under vasoconstriction; and (v) a sensor that detects a gap between the skin contacting surface and the treatment site.

[0022] In some embodiments, the sensor may measure the impedance of the treatment site.

[0023] In some embodiments, the laser device may further include a heater attached to the light-transmitting member, and the control unit controls the heater to prevent or delay fogging on the light-transmitting member.

[0024] In some embodiments, the laser device may further include a camera that obtains an image of the treatment area in contact with the skin-contacting surface.

[0025] A laser device for treating skin lesions may include: (i) a laser source; (ii) an optically transparent member including a top surface forming a laser transmitting surface and a bottom surface forming a skin contacting surface, allowing a therapeutic laser beam from the laser source to transmit from the laser transmitting surface to the skin contacting surface; (iii) a cooling unit that cools the skin contacting surface of the optically transparent member, thereby inducing vasoconstriction at the treatment site by cooling the treatment site using the skin contacting surface; (iv) a camera that obtains an image of the treatment site in contact with the skin contacting surface; (v) a control unit that controls the cooling unit and controls the laser source so that a therapeutic laser beam can be applied to skin lesions within the treatment site under vasoconstriction; and (vi) a scanner that facilitates application of the laser beam to the treatment site based on the image obtained by the camera.

[0026] In some embodiments, the scanner may be a galvanometer scanner.

[0027] In some embodiments, the laser device may further include a heater attached to the light-transmitting member, and the control unit controls the heater to prevent or delay fogging on the light-transmitting member.

[0028] A laser device for treating skin lesions may include: (i) a laser source; (ii) a conductor frame formed of a conductor; (iii) an optically transparent member including a first window forming a laser-transmitting surface on the top surface of the conductor frame, a second window forming a skin-contacting surface on the bottom surface of the conductor frame, and an optically transparent gas sealed inside the conductor frame; the optically transparent member allowing a therapeutic laser beam from the laser source to transmit from the laser-transmitting surface to the skin-contacting surface; (iv) a cooling unit that cools the skin-contacting surface of the optically transparent member, thereby inducing vasoconstriction in the treatment site by cooling the treatment site using the skin-contacting surface; (v) a control unit that controls the cooling unit and controls the laser source so that the therapeutic laser beam can be irradiated to skin lesions within the treatment site under vasoconstriction; and (vi) a heater attached to the optically transparent member, wherein the control unit controls the heater to prevent or delay fogging on the optically transparent member.

[0029] In some embodiments, the laser device may further include a beam splitter located inside the conductor frame and a third window located on one side of the conductor frame, and the beam splitter transmits an image of the skin lesion to the camera via the third window.

[0030] In some embodiments, the laser device may further include a camera that obtains an image of the treatment area in contact with the skin-contacting surface.

[0031] In some embodiments, a laser device for laser treatment of skin lesions under dermal vasoconstriction can induce vasoconstriction using a cooling device, minimizing inflammation triggered as a result of laser irradiation of normal tissue and capillary loops; and by administering laser treatment to skin lesions under vasoconstriction, side effects after laser treatment, such as hyperpigmentation, erythema, etc., can be minimized.

[0032] In some embodiments, the present invention may be effective in minimizing side effects of laser treatment by obtaining and analyzing images of specific skin lesions under vasoconstriction, as well as targeting specific lesions to terminate laser treatment quickly and accurately.

[0033] In some embodiments, the present invention can prevent or significantly delay the occurrence of fogging on the optically transparent member due to the cooling device, thereby stably collecting images of the lesion; this can therefore have the effect of administering stable laser treatment using the images.

[0034] A method for treating a skin lesion using a laser device can include applying a therapeutic laser beam in an overlapping manner. In some embodiments, the overlapping manner can be determined by the size of the therapeutic laser beam, the percentage of overlap, the area of ​​the treatment site, and the resolution of the image obtained by the camera. Because the skin lesion can be treated with laser light under vasoconstriction, damage caused by the laser energy can be minimized to the overlapping site.

[0035] A method for treating a skin lesion can include irradiating the skin lesion with laser light beyond a boundary of the skin lesion identified on the skin surface, whereby the skin lesion can be treated with laser light under vasoconstriction, thereby minimizing damage to the target site due to the laser energy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0036] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [Figure 1A] 1 is a diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a laser device. [Figure 1B] 1B is a side view of the laser device shown in FIG. 1A. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram of another exemplary embodiment of a laser device. [Figure 3A] 1 is a schematic image taken by a camera of the laser device. [Figure 3B]It shows how the captured images can be processed and analyzed. [Figure 3C] 1 shows how the boundaries of a skin lesion can be identified. [Figure 3D] It is shown how a laser beam can identify the boundary of a skin lesion and then target locations within the boundary, forming multiple beam spots within the boundary. [Figure 3E] It is shown that the laser beam can be applied in an overlapping manner between multiple beam spots. [Figure 3F] The type of treatment after laser treatment is shown. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram of another exemplary embodiment of a laser device. [Figure 5A] 1 is a diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an improved structure of a cooling unit to solve the problem of fogging in a laser device. [Figure 5B] 10 is a diagram of yet another exemplary embodiment of an improved structure of a cooling unit to solve the problem of fogging in a laser device; [Figure 6A] 1 is a diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an improved structure of a cooling unit to solve the problem of fogging in a laser device. [Figure 6B] 10 is a diagram of yet another exemplary embodiment of an improved structure of a cooling unit to solve the problem of fogging in a laser device; [Figure 7A] 1 is a diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a laser device. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a plan view of the laser device shown in FIG. 7A. [Figure 7C] FIG. 7B is a bottom view of the laser device shown in FIG. 7A. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an embodiment of a laser device handpiece incorporating a touch sensor. [Figure 9A] 1 shows exemplary skin lesions identified by a computer algorithm. [Figure 8B] 9B shows an example of the same skin lesion as FIG. 9A, where the practitioner aims to treat the area. [Figure 10] 1 is an exemplary embodiment of a handpiece including a scanner. [Figure 11A] 1 is an image of a skin lesion whose border has been marked with a dotted line using a galvanometer scanner. [Figure 11B] 1 is an image transformed using a threshold image processing method. [Figure 11C] By adjusting the threshold, the area inside the dots is designated for laser irradiation. [Figure 12A] 1 is a camera-acquired image of a skin lesion in which the site of the skin lesion is marked with a dotted line using a galvanometer scanner. [Figure 12B] 12B shows the same image as FIG. 12A using hue-saturation values. [Figure 12C] The same image as in Figure 12A is shown, with the areas of skin lesions filled in using an equalized histogram. [Figure 13A] Shown is the same image as in FIG. 12A, transformed using a threshold image processing method to extract the areas marked by the galvanometer scanner. [Figure 13B] 13A shows the same image as in FIG. 13A but with thresholded hue-saturation values. [Figure 13C] Shows the same image as in FIG. 13A, with the dotted inner region filled with a threshold equalized histogram. [Figure 14] This shows that depending on the size of the laser spot, there may be areas where the laser light is not irradiated. [Figure 15A] An exemplary illumination pattern is shown with an overlap value of 20%. [Figure 15B] An exemplary illumination pattern is shown with an overlap percentage value of 40%. [Figure 15C] An exemplary illumination pattern is shown with an overlap percentage value of 50%. [Figure 16] 1 illustrates an exemplary situation in which a laser may be applied to normal skin areas surrounding a skin lesion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] Detailed Description Due to recent advances in laser technology, laser equipment for treating skin lesions has been developed in various ways. Skin lesions can be treated using the high-power energy of a laser to selectively destroy targeted chromophores in the epidermis and / or dermis of the skin, while minimizing skin damage by shortening the duration of skin exposure to the laser energy.

[0038] Although laser treatments for skin lesions are generally considered safe and effective, they can lead to a variety of adverse reactions depending on the type of therapeutic treatment.

[0039] Immediately after laser treatment, adverse reactions such as blisters, crusting, bacterial infection, and hypersensitivity to the anesthetic ointment may occur. Long-term post-treatment adverse reactions such as erythema, hyperpigmentation, and scarring may also occur.

[0040] Post-laser treatment reactions can be caused by local inflammatory reactions triggered by damage to numerous cells present in the skin. Damaged capillary loops located in the papillary dermis and causing migration of inflammatory cells into blood vessels, and the ongoing inflammatory reaction caused by the migrated cells can lead to adverse reactions, such as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) and post-laser erythema (PLE).

[0041] There have been no clinically satisfactory methods to reduce the adverse reactions caused by laser treatment when treating skin lesions. Attempts have been made to reduce damage to capillary loops by using local or injectable anesthetics in conjunction with laser treatment, but this has not been effective.

[0042] Disclosed herein is a laser device for treating skin lesions, specifically a laser device that can temporarily constrict blood vessels under the treatment area to induce vasoconstriction when treating various pigmented and non-pigmented skin lesions, such as seborrheic keratosis, melasma, freckles, nevi, vascular skin diseases, and skin cancer.

[0043] In some embodiments, the laser device may induce vasoconstriction through a cooling device to minimize inflammation triggered by irradiation of normal skin tissue and capillary loops with the laser beam, as well as minimize post-laser treatment adverse reactions, such as hyperpigmentation and erythema.

[0044] In some embodiments, the laser device can minimize adverse reactions to laser treatment by obtaining and analyzing images of specific skin lesions under vasoconstriction, as well as targeting specific lesions to terminate laser treatment quickly and accurately.

[0045] The wavelength of the laser can be selected according to the target chromophores for laser treatment to selectively destroy only those chromophores that absorb that particular wavelength of light—hence the technique is called selective photothermolysis (SPTL). However, in reality, any wavelength of the laser can be absorbed to some extent by any target, thereby causing undesirable reactions in the skin.

[0046] For example, when a laser for pigmented lesions targets melanin as the target chromophore, the laser can damage not only the melanocytes that produce melanin, but also the keratinocytes that make up most of the epidermis. This is because many melanin pigments are constantly delivered to keratinocytes across multiple layers of the epidermis by melanosomes. When keratinocytes are damaged, these cells can secrete inflammatory cytokines and induce various adverse reactions.

[0047] Various conditions and factors can affect the effectiveness and accuracy of SPTL, such as beam diameter, fluence, pulse duration, and stacking / overlapping of laser beam spots, as well as the inherent characteristics of the laser beam wavelength itself.

[0048] In conventional laser treatment, if the fluence is increased above conventional levels or the laser beam spots are overlapped with each other to apply excessive laser energy, skin inflammatory reactions, such as petechiae and dermal edema, may occur regardless of the type of laser. Therefore, various adverse reactions, such as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), persistent post-inflammatory erythema (PIE), scarring, and tissue structural deformation may occur after laser treatment.

[0049] The severe inflammatory reaction resulting from petechiae and dermal edema can be particularly pronounced when using a Q-switched 532 nm laser, among various Q-switched lasers, because this particular wavelength of laser light can be absorbed not only by melanin pigment but also by hemoglobin, thereby causing a severe inflammatory reaction even at low energy levels that would not normally cause significant damage to the capillary loops of the papillary dermis with other lasers.

[0050] Any laser used in skin treatment can damage the capillary loops in the papillary dermis to some extent. As the fluence increases, the degree of damage to the capillary loops increases accordingly. Therefore, it is desirable to protect the capillary loops as much as possible to achieve the desired therapeutic effect while minimizing adverse skin reactions caused by laser irradiation.

[0051] To protect the capillary loop, it is important to consider that the target chromophore in the capillary loop that reacts to the laser is due to hemoglobin (oxygenated / deoxygenated Hb, "moving chromophore") in red blood cells that move around within the blood vessel, rather than the wall of the capillary loop. Therefore, if the amount of red blood cells flowing in the capillary loop can be temporarily reduced during the laser treatment time, the amount of target chromophore that reacts to the laser light can be reduced, and the effect of the laser energy on the capillary loop via the red blood cells can be reduced.

[0052] To minimize damage to the capillary loops caused by the laser energy, the skin lesion can be artificially cooled immediately before and during laser treatment. This allows the autonomic nervous system to respond quickly and maintain body temperature. As a result, the precapillary sphincters that deliver blood to the capillary loops in the papillary dermis can be temporarily constricted, allowing blood to flow only to the superficial plexus of the sphincters. In other words, the skin lesion is under vasoconstriction in this state.

[0053] When the amount of red blood cells in the capillary loops of the papillary dermis is reduced under vasoconstriction, the target chromophore (i.e., hemoglobin) that reacts to the laser is reduced, and damage to the walls of the capillary loops can be reduced. As a result, the amount of inflammatory cells that migrate to the site through the blood vessels can be reduced, which means that the inflammatory response at the site where the laser light is irradiated can be significantly reduced.

[0054] If the blood vessels and tissues around the papillary dermis can be protected to minimize damage, the normal wound healing process can be triggered more quickly.

[0055] As described above, the laser device disclosed herein can be configured to constrict blood vessels (i.e., "vasoconstriction") when the area of ​​a skin lesion is artificially cooled immediately before and during laser treatment. As a result, the amount of red blood cells in the capillary loops of the papillary dermis can be reduced, and a laser beam can be applied to treat the skin lesion while the amount of hemoglobin is reduced in the treatment area. Treatment using this device can reduce adverse reactions to laser treatment, such as hyperpigmentation, burns, erythema, and scarring, and can be applied to any pigmented or non-pigmented skin lesion, including difficult-to-treat skin lesions, such as solar lentigines, nevus of Ota, bilateral nevus Ota macule, and large congenital melanocytic nevi.

[0056] When laser treatment is applied under vasoconstriction, skin lesions in the dermis can be treated without causing hyperpigmentation or damaging the epidermis. The number and duration of treatments required for complete healing can be reduced by increasing the intensity of the laser output, thus achieving excellent treatment results. The fluence can be increased to much higher than conventional intensities, thereby making it possible to treat without serious adverse reactions: (i) light-colored hypopigmented lesions with relatively slight melanin hyperpigmentation as a type of epidermal pigmentation lesion; (ii) seborrheic keratosis with minimally thickened lesions due to clonal proliferation; and (iii) solar lentigines.

[0057] 1A and 1B show an exemplary embodiment of a laser device for treating skin lesions under dermal vasoconstriction. Fig. 1A is a diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the laser device. Fig. 1B is a diagram of the laser device shown in Fig. 1A from a side view.

[0058] 1A and 1B, an exemplary embodiment may include: a laser source 200, an optically transparent member 300, cooling units 400 and 500, and a control unit M. As described above, the laser source 200 is a component that emits a laser to treat skin lesions, such as non-pigmented skin lesions and pigmented skin lesions. The laser source 200 may include lasers such as a ruby ​​laser, an alexandrite laser, and an Nd:YAG laser. Preferably, the laser may include an Nd:YAG laser that can emit two wavelengths for treating pigmented skin lesions in the dermis and epidermis caused by melanin pigments.

[0059] 1A and 1B, optically transmitting member 300 is a component that guides a laser beam so that it transmits from its top surface to its bottom surface. Optically transmitting member 300 may include a top surface that forms a laser transmitting surface 315 and a bottom surface that forms a skin contacting surface 325 that contacts lesion 110 of skin 100. Optically transmitting member 300 guides a therapeutic laser beam from laser source 200 and transmits it from laser transmitting surface 315 to skin contacting surface 325, allowing a laser beam spot (SP) to be formed at a target location on lesion 110.

[0060] The light transmitting member 300 may include a first light transmitting portion 310 and a second light transmitting portion 320, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, where the top surface of the first light transmitting portion 310 forms a laser transmitting surface 315 and the bottom surface of the second light transmitting portion 320 forms a skin contacting surface 325.

[0061] First light-transmitting portion 310 and second light-transmitting portion 320 may be formed of an optically transparent material that can transmit light, such as quartz, sapphire, crystal, poly(methyl methacrylate), or polystyrene. First light-transmitting portion 310 and second light-transmitting portion 320 may comprise different materials; and second light-transmitting portion 320, which includes skin-contacting surface 325, may have a material with a higher thermal conductivity than first light-transmitting portion 310.

[0062] First light-transmitting portion 310 and second light-transmitting portion 320 may be formed to be adhered to one another by an adhesive, for example, a UV adhesive.

[0063] The cooling units 400 and 500 can constrict blood vessels directly below the contact area 110 of the skin 100 by cooling the skin contact surface 325 of the light transmitting member 300 and using the skin contact surface 325 to cool the contact area 110 of the skin 100.

[0064] Various types of cooling units can be used to cool the optically transparent member 300. Non-limiting examples of cooling units can include a thermoelectric element, cooled air, cooled gas, or cooled liquid. Preferably, as shown in Figures 1A and 1B, the cooling unit can include a thermoelectric element 500 and a conductive member 400 including a thermally conductive material such as a metal.

[0065] 1A and 1B , the heat-absorbing side of the thermoelectric element 500 can be attached to one side of the conductive member 400, and the other side of the conductive member 400 can be attached to the second light-transmitting portion 320. As a result, the second light-transmitting portion 320 can be cooled, but the heat of the second light-transmitting portion 320 can be transferred to the thermoelectric element 500 through the conductive member 400 as the thermoelectric element 500 absorbs the heat.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 1A, when the skin contact surface 325 of the second light transmitting portion 320 is cooled while in contact with the skin contact area 110, the contact area becomes the cooled area 112, and the outer edge surrounding it becomes the slightly warmer area 114.

[0067] When thermoelectric device 500 operates, second light-transmitting portion 320 cools, and as skin-contacting surface 325 of second light-transmitting portion 320 cools, cooled area 112 of the skin cools and blood vessels directly below cooled area 112 constrict, resulting in reduced blood flow while maintaining a cooled state. When laser treatment is administered under these conditions, adverse reactions such as hyperpigmentation and erythema can be minimized.

[0068] Light transmitting member 300 may be constructed by bonding first light transmitting portion 310 and second light transmitting portion 320. Second light transmitting portion 320, which forms skin contact surface 325, may include a material with higher thermal conductivity than first light transmitting portion 310, which may facilitate cooling of skin contact surface 325 of second light transmitting portion 320 to which cooling units 400 and 500 are connected.

[0069] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the laser apparatus may include a control unit M, which may be connected to and control the laser source 200 and the cooling units 400 and 500.

[0070] While the skin contact surface 325 of the optically transparent member 320 is in contact with the skin 100, the control unit M can control the thermoelectric element 500 of the cooling unit to cool the skin contact surface 325 and constrict blood vessels at the cooled area 112 in the contact area 110 of the skin in contact therewith. Once cooled enough for treatment, the laser source 200 is controlled so that a therapeutic laser beam is irradiated to the skin contact area under a vasoconstriction state while the cooled state continues.

[0071] 1A, by using a cooling unit while keeping skin contact surface 325 of light transmission member 300 in contact with skin contact site 110, laser beam La transmits light through light transmission member 300 and forms spot SP at contact site 110 in contact with the skin contact surface while maintaining a cooled state of skin contact surface 325 (while maintaining a vasoconstricted state). Thus, the skin lesion can be treated by laser under vasoconstriction.

[0072] If it is possible to know how much the skin contact area has cooled while the skin contact surface 325 of the optically transparent member 300 is in contact with the contact area on the skin, adverse reactions from overcooling of the skin can also be prevented or minimized.

[0073] To achieve this, the laser device may have a separate temperature sensor (not shown) for sensing how much the skin contact area 110 in contact with the skin contact surface 325 of the light-transmitting member 300 is cooled when cooling is performed by the cooling unit.

[0074] In some embodiments, the temperature sensor may directly sense the temperature of the skin contact site 110. In some other embodiments, the temperature sensor may measure the temperature of the light transmitting member 300 (e.g., the temperature of the second light transmitting portion 320) and calculate the temperature of the skin contact site based on that temperature information.

[0075] By using the above-described method, the control unit controls the cooling unit, laser source, etc. based on the temperature information of the skin contact site obtained from the temperature sensor, thereby enabling laser treatment to be performed effectively under vasoconstriction without adverse reactions.

[0076] When cooling is performed at the skin contact site via skin-contacting surface 325 of optically transparent member 300, severe adverse reactions from the cooling itself can occur if the cooling time is too long. Therefore, it is important to keep the duration of cooling short and to perform laser treatment of the lesion quickly.

[0077] In order to quickly treat the skin lesion, it is necessary to find the location of the skin lesion on the skin contact area 110 where the skin contact surface 325 of the optically transparent member 300 is contacted, and to guide the laser beam to accurately form a spot on the skin lesion.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 2, the laser device can be configured to find the location of the skin lesion by analyzing an image of the site of the lesion and target the lesion based on that analysis, thereby quickly and accurately administering the laser treatment.

[0079] In some embodiments, the laser apparatus may be configured to include: (i) a laser source 200, an optically transparent member 300, and cooling units 400 and 500 in the same manner as the laser apparatus according to the embodiment shown in Figures 1A and 1B above; further, (ii) an optical conditioning unit 220, a beam splitter 350, and a camera 600; and (iii) a control unit M that controls these components.

[0080] 1A and 1B, the laser device according to this embodiment may include: a laser source 200; an optically transparent member 300 including a top surface forming a laser transmitting surface 315 and a bottom surface forming a skin contact surface 325 that contacts the lesion 110 of the skin 100, and that guides the therapeutic laser beam La from the laser source 200 to transmit from the laser transmitting surface 315 to the skin contact surface 325; and cooling units 400 and 500 that can induce vasoconstriction by cooling the skin contact surface 325 of the optically transparent member 300 and using the skin contact surface 325 to cool the skin contact site 110.

[0081] The laser source 200, the optically transparent member 300, and the cooling units 400 and 500 may be substantially the same as the laser apparatus according to one embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 2 , the light transmitting member 300 may include a first light transmitting portion 310 having a top surface forming a laser transmitting surface 315; and a second light transmitting portion 320 having a bottom surface forming a skin contacting surface 325, thereby guiding the laser beam to transmit and travel from the laser transmitting surface 315 to the skin contacting surface 325.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 2, the light transmitting member 300 according to this embodiment may include a beam splitter 350 between the first light transmitting portion 310 and the second light transmitting portion 320; thereby transmitting the laser beam La traveling from the laser transmitting surface 315 to the skin contact surface 325, and reflecting the light reflected from the contact portion 110 when the skin contact surface 325 is in contact to one side.

[0084] The camera 600 can take an image of the skin contact area 110 in contact with the skin contact surface from the light reflected from the beam splitter 350 .

[0085] It is preferable to use a separate, dedicated lighting device, rather than using natural light, to obtain the image captured by camera 600. If a lighting device is provided separately at the skin contact site, the light reflected from the skin contact site can be reflected by beam splitter 350, allowing camera 600 to capture a clearer image of the contact site by receiving the light reflected by beam splitter 350. In other words, an image of the contact site can be obtained, such as that shown by image 610 in FIG. 2.

[0086] In some embodiments, an image 610 of the contact site taken by the camera 600 may be sent to the control unit M. The control unit M may then analyze the image 610, identify the lesion 612, identify the location of the skin lesion 612, control the light conditioning unit 220 to target the location on the identified skin lesion, and direct the laser beam to be irradiated onto the target location.

[0087] The light adjusting unit 220 may be a device that adjusts the path of the laser beam emitted from the laser source 200, thereby enabling a beam spot SP to be formed on the target location of the skin contact site 110. In some embodiments, the light adjusting unit 220 may be a Galvano mirror.

[0088] By processing and analyzing the image 610 taken by the camera 600, the control unit M can detect the location of the skin lesion 612, identify the boundary, calculate the position coordinates of the identified lesion within the boundary as coordinate information of the target location of the laser beam, control the light adjustment unit 220 according to the coordinate information of the target location, and guide the laser beam La to be irradiated to the calculated target location, thereby quickly locating the lesion and administering laser treatment to the skin lesion.

[0089] For example, by analyzing the image of the contact site according to the steps shown in Figures 3A-3F, it is possible to find the location of the skin lesion and administer laser treatment to the skin lesion using the camera of the laser device according to the embodiment shown in Figure 2.

[0090] FIG. 3A is a schematic image captured by a camera as described above. The captured image may be processed and analyzed, as shown in FIG. 3B, to identify the boundary of the skin lesion, as shown in FIG. 3C. After identifying the boundary of the skin lesion, a laser beam may be targeted to a location within the boundary, forming multiple beam spots within the boundary, as shown in FIG. 3D. In some embodiments, the laser beam may be applied in an overlapping manner between multiple beam spots, as shown in FIG. 3E, to complete the laser treatment. FIG. 3F illustrates types of post-laser treatment care.

[0091] The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 can be configured such that the laser beam La can be irradiated onto the skin contact surface 325 after being transmitted from the laser transmitting surface 315 of the light transmitting member 300 through the beam splitter 350, and the camera 600 can capture an image from the light reflected by the beam splitter on one side of the light transmitting member 300.

[0092] FIG. 4 shows another embodiment in which the laser device may be configured to include: a laser source 200, a light-transmitting member 300, cooling units 400 and 500, similar to the laser device according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B; and further include a light adjusting unit 220, a beam splitter 360; and a camera 600; and a control unit M for controlling these components.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 4 , the laser device according to this embodiment can be configured such that the optical axis AX of the camera 600 is transmitted through the laser transmitting surface 315 and the skin contact surface 325 of the light transmitting member 300, thereby guiding the light reflected from the skin contact surface 325 to the camera 600 to be transmitted through the beam splitter 360 and the laser transmitting surface 315.

[0094] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 and the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the location of the laser beam and the location of the camera can be interchanged.

[0095] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, beam splitter 360 disposed between first light-transmitting portion 310 and second light-transmitting portion 320 may have different physical characteristics than beam splitter 350 used in the embodiment shown in Figure 2 above. The characteristics of beam splitter 350 in the embodiment shown in Figure 2 may allow it to reflect visible light and transmit a laser beam. Beam splitter 360 in the embodiment shown in Figure 4 may reflect a laser beam and transmit visible light.

[0096] The light adjusting unit 220 can adjust the path of the laser beam emitted from the laser source 200 and set the coordinates of the target location taking into account reflection by the beam splitter 360. The light adjusting unit 220 can be implemented with a device such as a Galvano mirror.

[0097] The control unit M can detect the skin lesion site by performing predetermined processing and analysis of the image of the skin contact site taken by the camera 600 through the laser transparent surface 315. The control unit M can identify the boundary, calculate the position coordinates of the identified lesion within the boundary as coordinate information of the laser beam target location, control the light adjusting unit 220 according to the coordinate information about the target location, and guide the laser beam La to be irradiated to the calculated target location, thereby quickly finding the lesion site and immediately and accurately administering laser treatment to the lesion site.

[0098] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 4, cooling units 400 and 500 may cool light-transmitting member 300, but after a period of time, the temperature of light-transmitting member 300 may fall below a certain temperature, causing light-transmitting member 300 to become cloudy.

[0099] Clouding of the optically transparent member 300 can occur at any time, depending on, among other things, the material of the optically transparent member, the ambient temperature and humidity, and the cooling temperature. When the optically transparent member 300 becomes cloudy, the clarity of the images captured by the camera 600 is significantly reduced, making it difficult to detect the location of the lesion.

[0100] For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , the camera captures images by receiving light reflected from a beam splitter on one side of the optically transparent member 300. As such, cloudiness on a lateral surface of the optically transparent member 300 can affect the clarity of the captured image. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the camera captures images by receiving light transmitted by the beam splitter 360 on the laser contact surface 315 of the optically transparent member 300. As such, cloudiness on the laser transmission surface 315 of the optically transparent member 300 can affect the clarity of the captured image.

[0101] 5A and 5B show an exemplary embodiment for solving the problem of fogging that can occur in the optically transparent member as described above. The embodiment shown in Figures 5A and 5B is substantially the same as the laser device shown in Figure 2, except for the elements that solve the problem of fogging. The elements that solve the problem of fogging in the laser device shown in Figures 5A and 5B can be applied to various other embodiments, including those shown in Figures 1A, 1B, and 4.

[0102] In FIG. 5A, a laser cooling unit according to this embodiment may include: thermoelectric elements 510 and 520, and conductive members 412, 414, 422, and 424 for cooling adjacent portions of the skin-contacting surface 325 of the optically transparent member by thermal conduction.

[0103] 5A shows the cooling units (thermoelectric elements and conductive members) located on one lateral side and another lateral side of the light-transmitting member 300, respectively, but the location of the cooling units is not limited thereto. The cooling units may be attached to only one side or all sides of the light-transmitting member.

[0104] The conductive member may include: (i) conductive bases 412 and 422 attached to the heat-absorbing plates of the thermoelectric elements 510 and 520 for conducting heat; and (ii) conductive bridges 414 and 424 for cooling the light-transmitting member 300 by conducting heat between the conductive base 412 and the light-transmitting member 300.

[0105] Conductive bridges 414 and 424 may be provided to form separations 415 and 425 between conductive bases 412 and 422 and light transmitting member 300 .

[0106] The distance between the spaced apart portions 415 and 425 may be the same as the distance between the conductive bridges 414 and 424. Preferably, the vertical gap between the spaced apart portions 415 and 425 may be longer than the length of the conductive bridges 414 and 424. In other words, the volumes of the spaced apart portions 415 and 425 are preferably formed to be larger than the volumes of the conductive bridges 414 and 424.

[0107] Preferably, the location for attaching the conductive bridges 414 and 424 may be near the skin contact surface 325 of the optically transparent member 300 .

[0108] 5A , conductive bases 412 and 422 attached to thermoelectric elements 510 and 520 can conduct heat only to conductive bridges 414 and 424, so that heat is not conducted through spaced apart portions 415 and 425, and conductive bridges 414 and 424 are attached near skin-contacting surface 325. As such, fogging of the optically transparent member can be significantly delayed while substantially maintaining the cooling effect of skin-contacting surface 325.

[0109] As described above, when the thermoelectric elements 510 and 520 are connected to the light-transmitting member 300 via the conductive bridges 414 and 424, the occurrence of fogging on the light-transmitting member 300 can be significantly delayed compared to when the thermoelectric elements 510 and 520 are directly attached to the light-transmitting member 300.

[0110] As shown in FIG. 5B, gaps 415 and 425 between conductive bases 412 and 422 and light-transmitting member 300 may be filled with insulating materials 417 and 427, thereby further delaying the formation of fogging on the light-transmitting member.

[0111] FIG. 6A illustrates yet another embodiment of a laser device in which clouding due to cooling of the light transmitting member can be prevented or delayed by structural features of the laser light transmitting member.

[0112] 6A, the light-transmitting member 300a provided in the laser device may be constructed by alternately stacking a first light-transmitting block S and a second light-transmitting block Q having two different heat transfer coefficients from the laser transmitting surface 315a to the skin contact surface 325a, as shown. Hereinafter, the light-transmitting member 300a constructed by stacking the first light-transmitting block S and the second light-transmitting block Q as described above will be referred to as a "stacked light-transmitting member."

[0113] In some embodiments, the first light-transmitting block S of the stacked light-transmitting member 300a may be made of, for example, sapphire, and the second light-transmitting block Q may be made of, for example, quartz. However, the first light-transmitting block S and the second light-transmitting block Q are not limited to these materials. Any combination of materials may be used as long as the two materials have light-transmitting properties and different thermal conductivities.

[0114] The thermal conductivity of sapphire is 20 W / mK, and the thermal conductivity of quartz is 1.5 W / mK, so there is a significant difference in thermal conductivity between the two materials. Therefore, heat transfer between the two blocks can be prevented by constructing the first light-transmitting block S and the second light-transmitting block Q with a combination of materials with different thermal conductivities and by stacking the blocks alternately. As a result, clouding of the stacked light-transmitting member 300a can be significantly delayed.

[0115] In yet another embodiment, the laser device may include a temperature maintaining means for maintaining the temperature of the optically transparent member within a set range to prevent or delay the occurrence of fogging on the optically transparent member due to the cooling unit. Figure 6B shows yet another embodiment in which a heater is attached to the optically transparent member as an example of the temperature maintaining means.

[0116] 6B shows an embodiment of a laser device constructed by attaching a heater 700 to one side of the light transmitting member 300. As the light transmitting member 300 is cooled by the cooling unit, the control unit M can sense the temperature of the light transmitting member 300. Once the temperature reaches a predetermined level, the heater 700 can be controlled to prevent or delay the formation of fogging on the light transmitting member 300.

[0117] 6B , to prevent fogging at laser transmitting surface 315 of light transmitting member 300, temperature sensor TS may be configured to sense the temperature of laser transmitting surface 315, and heater 700 may be mounted near laser transmitting surface 315. When temperature sensor TS senses the temperature of laser transmitting surface 315 and control unit M determines, based on the sensed temperature, that the temperature needs to be adjusted to prevent fogging, the temperature of light transmitting member 300 may be adjusted by operating heater 700 while cooling is in progress.

[0118] The heater 700 may be implemented in the form of a heater wire that generates heat, and may also be implemented with a polyimide heater.

[0119] If the camera is positioned on a lateral surface of the optically transparent member, the surface of the optically transparent member facing the camera must be clear. Therefore, a heater can be attached near the surface on the side where the camera is positioned, thereby allowing for temperature control.

[0120] The method of preventing fogging using the heater described above can be implemented by attaching a heater to the light-transmitting member described above, or by attaching a heater to a stacked light-transmitting member.

[0121] Figures 7A, 7B, and 7C show yet another embodiment of a laser device. Figure 7B is a top view of the laser device shown in Figure 7A. Figure 7C is a bottom view of the laser device shown in Figure 7A.

[0122] The embodiment shown in Figure 7 may include a "light transmission device 800" instead of the light transmission member that is the main component of the embodiment shown in Figure 2 or Figure 4 described above. In some embodiments, the heater 700 of Figure 6B may be implemented in the embodiment shown in Figure 7A in the same manner as described above.

[0123] In some embodiments, the implementations described in Figures 5A and 5B for solving the problem of fogging in a laser device can be applied to the embodiment shown in Figure 7A.

[0124] The light-transmitting device 800 as shown in FIG. 7A may include: a conductor frame 810 formed of a conductor; a light-transmitting gas 820 tightly sealed inside the conductor frame 810; a first window 812 forming a laser-transmitting surface 801 on the top surface of the conductor frame 810; and a second window 814 forming a skin-contacting surface 802 on the bottom surface of the conductor frame 810.

[0125] Thus, the therapeutic laser beam La can be transmitted from the laser-transmitting surface 801 of the first window 812 through the optically transparent gas 820 to the skin-contacting surface 802 of the second window 814 .

[0126] Here, the beam splitter 830 may be provided inside the conductor frame 810, and a third window 816 may be provided on one side of the conductor frame 810, so that light from the skin contact surface 802 reflected by the beam splitter 830 can reach the camera 600 via the third window 816, thereby making it possible to take an image of the contact area of ​​the skin contacted by the skin contact surface.

[0127] The skin contact surface 802, the bottom surface of the second window 814 may be configured to contact the skin 100 so that the contact area on the skin is directly cooled by the cooling unit 500. Preferably, the second window 814 may be formed of a material that is light-transmitting but has high thermal conductivity.

[0128] In the above-described embodiment, when the cooling unit 500, e.g., a thermoelectric element, is operating, the second window 814 may be cooled by heat transfer from the conductor frame 810, and the skin-contacting surface 802 of the second window 814 may cool the skin contact site and induce constriction of nearby blood vessels. When the camera 600 takes an image of the skin lesion site via the third window 816 and the beam splitter 830 under such vasoconstriction, identifies the location of the skin lesion, and detects the target site, the laser beam may be directed to irradiate the target site, thereby administering laser treatment under vasoconstriction.

[0129] Here, conductor frame 810 may be cooled by cooling unit 500. However, because light-transmitting gas 820 may be tightly sealed therein, heat transfer cannot occur through the gas therein. As such, fogging of each of windows 812, 814, and 816 may be prevented or significantly reduced or delayed.

[0130] If laser light is irradiated without complete contact between the skin contact surface 902 of the optically transparent member and the skin lesion 903, the laser may be irradiated to an undesired area of ​​the skin through the gap between the skin contact surface 902 and the skin lesion 903, thereby damaging the skin. Figure 8 shows a handpiece of a laser device equipped with a touch sensor 901 that can detect contact between the skin contact surface 902 of the optically transparent member and the skin lesion 903 to ensure the safety of the practitioner and the patient.

[0131] In some embodiments, complete contact between the skin-contacting surface 902 and the skin lesion 903 can be ensured by: (i) bringing the skin-contacting surface 902 of an optically transparent member (e.g., in a handpiece) into contact with the treatment site 903; (ii) measuring the impedance of the treatment site using a touch sensor; (iii) determining whether complete contact has been achieved depending on the measured impedance value; and (iv) illuminating the laser only upon complete contact. In this embodiment, the laser is not illuminated when complete contact is not achieved.

[0132] When a skin lesion is identified by a computer algorithm, there may be a discrepancy between the area identified by the computer algorithm (shown in FIG. 9A ) and the area the practitioner plans to treat (shown in FIG. 9B ). If the laser is unintentionally applied to normal skin as well as the skin lesion, the normal skin may suffer various adverse reactions, such as burns, wound infection, and hyperpigmentation. Therefore, when the computer algorithm cannot accurately identify the lesion, it may be beneficial for the practitioner to manually determine the treatment area.

[0133] In some embodiments, a scanner may facilitate application of the laser beam to the treatment site based on images obtained by the camera, hi some embodiments, the scanner may be a galvanometer scanner.

[0134] 10 shows an exemplary embodiment of a handpiece including a scanner 904, a first light-transmitting portion 905, a second light-transmitting portion 906, a thermoelectric cooling module 907, and a camera 908. As described above, the first light-transmitting portion 905 and the second light-transmitting portion 906 may each be formed of a material capable of transmitting light, such as quartz, sapphire, crystal, poly(methyl methacrylate), or polystyrene. The first light-transmitting portion 905 and the second light-transmitting portion 906 may comprise different materials; and the second light-transmitting portion 906, which includes the skin-contacting surface 902, may have a material with a higher thermal conductivity than the first light-transmitting portion 905.

[0135] In some embodiments, the camera 908 may be operatively coupled to a control unit to analyze characteristics of the skin lesion and guide the laser beam to treat the skin lesion according to the characteristics of the skin lesion. The characteristics of the skin lesion may include the location, border, size, thickness, color, and pigment level (i.e., pigment density or concentration) of the lesion. In some other embodiments, the practitioner may manually select the area to be irradiated and mark it with a dot using a pen (FIG. 11A).

[0136] The image obtained by the camera (FIG. 12A) is transformed using a threshold image processing method to extract the areas marked by the scanner (FIG. 13A). After adjusting the hue and saturation values, the dots on the image transformed by the threshold image processing method can be connected (FIG. 11B). FIG. 12B shows the same image as FIG. 12A using hue and saturation values. FIG. 13B shows the same image as FIG. 13A using threshold hue and saturation values. Using an equalized histogram, the interior areas connected by the dots can be filled, and by adjusting the threshold, the laser irradiation areas can be designated (FIG. 11C). Finally, the designated areas can be illuminated by the laser. FIG. 12C shows the same image as FIG. 12A with the areas filled using the equalized histogram. FIG. 13C shows the same image as FIG. 13A with the areas filled using the threshold equalized histogram.

[0137] When irradiating the identified target skin lesion with laser light, depending on the size of the laser spot, some areas may not be irradiated with laser light (FIG. 14). To ensure that the entire skin lesion is irradiated with laser light, an overlapping percentage value may be specified depending on the size of the laser spot, so that the laser can be irradiated accordingly in an overlapping manner. FIGS. 15A, 15B, and 15C show exemplary irradiation patterns when the overlapping percentage values ​​are 20%, 40%, and 50%, respectively. The irradiation patterns are determined by the size of the laser spot (mm), the overlapping percentage value (%), the treatment area (mm), and the treatment time (h). 2 ) and the resolution (pixels) of the image obtained by the camera. By using the laser device disclosed herein, skin lesions can be treated with laser light under vasoconstriction, so that damage caused by laser energy, especially in overlapping areas, can be minimized even when higher fluences than conventional are applied to the overlapping areas.

[0138] In pigmented lesions, pigment may be more widely distributed below the skin surface than is visible on the skin surface. As such, when laser light is applied to an area identified on the skin surface, it may not be sufficient to treat the entire volume of the skin lesion. To completely treat the skin lesion below the skin surface, laser light may be applied to normal skin surrounding the skin lesion beyond the boundary identified on the skin surface by a computer algorithm or manually by the practitioner. In certain circumstances, the center of the laser spot may be targeted to the boundary of the skin lesion, so that the outer edge of the laser spot extends beyond the boundary of the skin lesion on the skin surface (FIG. 16). In other circumstances, the center of the laser spot may be targeted beyond the boundary of the skin lesion identified on the skin surface. Because the skin lesion may be treated with laser light under vasoconstriction, damage caused by the laser energy may be minimized to the area being treated.

[0139] Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. 1. A device for treating a skin lesion, comprising: laser source; an optically transparent member including a top surface forming a laser transparent surface and a bottom surface forming a skin-contacting surface, the optically transparent member allowing a therapeutic laser beam from the laser source to transmit from the laser transparent surface to the skin-contacting surface; a cooling unit that cools the skin-contacting surface of the optically transparent member, thereby inducing vasoconstriction at the treatment site by using the skin-contacting surface to cool the treatment site; a control unit that controls the cooling unit and controls the laser source to irradiate the therapeutic laser beam onto the skin lesion within the treatment area under vasoconstriction; and a heater attached to the light-transmitting member, the control unit controlling the heater to prevent or delay fogging on the light-transmitting member; Including, the light transmitting member includes a first light transmitting portion and a second light transmitting portion; further comprising a beam splitter positioned between the first light-transmitting portion and the second light-transmitting portion. Device.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first light-transmitting portion and the second light-transmitting portion are optically transparent.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first light-transmitting portion comprises quartz, sapphire, quartz crystal, poly(methyl methacrylate), or polystyrene.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the second light-transmitting portion comprises quartz, sapphire, quartz crystal, poly(methyl methacrylate), or polystyrene.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cooling unit comprises a thermoelectric element, cooled air, cooled gas, or cooled liquid.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cooling unit includes a thermoelectric element and a conductive member.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the thermoelectric element is attached to one side of the optically transparent member.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the thermoelectric element is attached to one side of the light-transmitting member and is also attached to the second light-transmitting portion.

9. The device of claim 6 , wherein the conductive member is disposed between the thermoelectric element and the light emitting member.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the thermoelectric element includes a heat absorbing plate and a heat dissipating plate in contact with each other.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the conductive member comprises a conductive base attached to the heat absorbing plate of the thermoelectric element.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the conductive member comprises a conductive bridge disposed between the thermoelectric element and the light emitting element.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a thermal insulator disposed between the conductive base and the second light-transmitting portion.

14. The device of claim 9 further comprising a temperature sensor.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the temperature sensor is capable of detecting a temperature of the light-emitting element.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the temperature sensor is capable of detecting a temperature of the cooling unit.

17. The device of claim 14 , wherein the temperature sensor is capable of detecting a temperature at the treatment site.

18. The device of claim 1 , wherein the skin lesion is a pigmented lesion.

19. The device of claim 1 , wherein the skin lesion is a non-pigmented lesion.

20. 10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a camera for obtaining an image of the treatment area in contact with the skin-contacting surface.

21. The device of claim 20, comprising applying the therapeutic laser beams in an overlapping manner.

22. 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the overlapping scheme is determined by the size of the treatment laser beam, the overlapping percentage, the area of ​​the treatment site, and the resolution of the image.

Images