Microchannel Laser Skin Resurfacing for Reduced Thermal Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current laser skin resurfacing techniques, both ablative and non-ablative, face challenges such as extensive thermal damage, pain, unacceptable side effects, limited effectiveness for dark complexions, and inadequate use of keratinocytes in wound healing, which restrict their ability to treat skin defects like wrinkles and dyschromia effectively.
Innovation Solution
A system and method using a laser with pulsed light output that allows users to control total energy, average power, and duration, employing attenuating elements and power control to create microchannels in the skin, enabling ablative and non-ablative treatments with precise heat distribution and minimal thermal damage, thereby promoting effective skin rejuvenation and treatment delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ablative laser resurfacing is used to treat skin defects, then effective treatment of wrinkles and dyschromia is achieved, but extensive thermal damage to epidermis and dermis occurs causing pain, edema, and burning discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the skin treatment into two distinct stages: first creating microablated channels through the epidermis into the dermis, then delivering therapeutic agents through these channels. This segmentation allows the epidermal barrier function to be temporarily disrupted for treatment delivery while preserving most of the epidermis, thereby maintaining treatment effectiveness while reducing extensive thermal damage and associated side effects
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses microablated channels as intermediaries to deliver therapeutic agents directly to the dermis. These channels serve as a controlled pathway that enables effective treatment delivery while minimizing direct thermal damage to the epidermis, as the therapeutic agents are delivered through mechanical ablation rather than thermal exposure
2Object-affected harmful factors
If non-ablative collagen remodeling is used to avoid epidermal damage, then thermal damage to epidermis is reduced, but treatment effectiveness for skin defects is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the treatment approach by first creating precise microchannels through the epidermis without significant thermal damage, then delivering concentrated therapeutic agents through these channels directly to the dermis. This allows non-ablative conditions to be maintained during channel creation while ensuring effective treatment delivery through the intermediary channels
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces thermal-based non-ablative remodeling with a mechanical ablation approach for channel creation, followed by controlled delivery of therapeutic agents. This substitution allows for more precise control over the depth and location of treatment while maintaining minimal epidermal damage, thereby improving treatment effectiveness compared to purely thermal non-ablative methods
3Reliability
If ablative laser resurfacing is performed on patients with dark complexions, then skin defects can be treated, but severe cosmetic disfigurement occurs due to ablation of pigmented epidermal tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the treatment to create narrow microchannels that penetrate through the epidermis rather than applying broad-area ablation. This segmentation limits the amount of pigmented epidermal tissue removed, allowing treatment of skin defects in dark-complexioned patients while minimizing the risk of severe cosmetic disfigurement associated with traditional ablative resurfacing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating highly focused microchannels with precise control over diameter and depth, rather than uniform broad-area treatment. This allows the treatment to be concentrated exactly where needed in the dermis while preserving the surrounding epidermis, thereby enabling effective treatment while minimizing cosmetic disfigurement in pigmented skin
4Ease of operation
If traditional laser systems are used with fixed power output, then simple operation is maintained, but precise control over heat distribution and treatment depth is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of laser power output, allowing the system to adjust between high power for rapid channel creation and low power for controlled therapeutic agent delivery. This dynamic adjustment provides precise control over heat distribution and treatment depth while maintaining ease of operation through automated control modes that manage the power transitions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes key operational parameters including power output, pulse duration, and duty cycle to optimize different phases of treatment. By automatically adjusting these parameters based on the treatment phase (channel creation vs. agent delivery), the system achieves precise heat distribution control while maintaining simple operation through pre-programmed treatment protocols
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
This approach provides controlled depth and heat placement, enhancing skin rejuvenation, reducing wrinkles and dyschromia, and allowing for targeted therapy delivery through microchannels, minimizing side effects and improving treatment outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
a laser with pulsed light output
Implementation Method 2
directing the light output of the laser to the tissue
Implementation Method 3
non-ablatively heating tissue on the bottom of the channel with electromagnetic radiation and creating a thermal affected zone
Data Source
AI summary
A method for cosmetically treating skin tissue is disclosed in which a combination of laser energy and RF energy is applied to the skin tissue. In the method, a microchannel is first formed in the skin tissue having a length, a depth and a width by ablating the skin tissue. After that, RF electrodes are placed on the skin tissue on either side of the width dimension of the microchannel, followed by activation of RF energy to drive RF energy below the depth of the microchannel formed, and this the RF energy is driven deeper into the skin tissue than would have occurred in the absence of the microchannel.