Controllable Cooling Elements for Selective Lipolysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for reducing subcutaneous fat, such as liposuction and non-invasive treatments, are invasive, painful, or ineffective, and lack precise control over cooling profiles to selectively target lipid-rich cells without damaging adjacent tissues.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device with a plurality of controllable cooling elements that can create spatial and time-varying cooling profiles, using thermoelectric coolers and flexible substrates to conform to body contours, allowing selective cooling of lipid-rich cells while sparing non-lipid-rich cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a single cooling element is used, then the device structure is simple, but the cooling precision and ability to create spatial cooling profiles is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling device is divided into multiple independently controllable cooling elements arranged in an array. Each cooling element can be controlled separately to create different cooling profiles in different spatial regions, enabling precise selective cooling of subcutaneous lipid-rich cells while sparing surrounding tissues.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the cooling device have different cooling capabilities. The cooling elements are configured to provide varying cooling intensities at different locations, allowing the device to create customized cooling profiles that match the specific anatomical requirements for treating different body areas.
2Productivity
If conventional cooling methods are used, then the treatment is non-invasive, but the effectiveness in selectively removing subcutaneous fat is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling device uses multiple segmented cooling elements that can be independently activated to target specific deep subcutaneous regions. This segmentation allows the cooling energy to be distributed precisely where needed, improving fat removal effectiveness while minimizing thermal damage to superficial and adjacent tissues through selective activation of individual cooling elements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device efficiently reduces subcutaneous lipid-rich cells with minimal damage to surrounding tissues, offering increased precision, comfort, and reduced treatment time, while accommodating various body contours and anatomical differences.
Implementation Method 1
cooling the target cells... cooling the surface of the skin... the cooling protects the epidermis from thermal damage
Implementation Method 2
The applied heat denatures fibrous septae made of collagen tissue and may destroy fat cells below the skin
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling device for removing heat from subcutaneous lipid-rich cells of a subject having skin is provided. The cooling device includes a plurality of cooling elements movable relative to each other to conform to the contour's of the subject's skin. The cooling elements have a plurality of controllable thermoelectric coolers. The cooling elements can be controlled to provide a time-varying cooling profile in a predetermined sequence, can be controlled to provide a spatial cooling profile in a selected pattern, or can be adjusted to maintain constant process parameters, or can be controlled to provide a combination thereof.