Non-invasive Fractional RF Skin Treatment via Impedance Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fractional RF treatments for skin rejuvenation often ablate the stratum corneum, leading to potential contamination and complications, as they break the protective skin layer to deliver energy effectively to deeper dermal layers.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method utilizing a handpiece with co-planar electrodes and a vacuum chamber to apply RF energy in a sequence of initial and treatment pulses, where the initial pulse reduces skin impedance without ablating the surface, allowing the treatment pulse to cause thermal damage within the dermis or hypodermis layers without penetrating or ablating the skin surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If RF energy is applied to deliver effective treatment to deeper dermal layers, then treatment efficacy is improved, but the stratum corneum is ablated leading to contamination and complications
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus applies an initial low-energy pulse before the main treatment pulse to prepare the skin surface. This preliminary action reduces the impedance of the stratum corneum without causing ablation, creating favorable conditions for subsequent high-energy treatment while preserving the protective skin barrier.
Solution Approach 2:
The treatment is delivered in a periodic sequence consisting of multiple initial pulses followed by a single treatment pulse. This periodic structure allows the skin to respond to each pulse in a controlled manner, achieving cumulative therapeutic effect while maintaining surface integrity through the repeated low-energy preparation phases.
2Power
If high energy is used to treat dermal layers, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but skin surface ablation occurs causing contamination risk
Solution Approach 1:
Before delivering the high-energy treatment pulse, the apparatus applies one or more low-energy initial pulses that prepare the tissue by reducing impedance. This preliminary action enables the subsequent high-power pulse to effectively treat dermal layers without causing stratum corneum ablation, thus avoiding contamination risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus dynamically changes energy parameters by delivering initial pulses at lower energy levels to prepare the skin, then switching to high energy for the treatment pulse. This parameter modulation allows effective deep tissue treatment while preserving the protective skin surface barrier.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the stratum corneum is broken to deliver energy to dermis, then energy penetration is improved, but protective skin barrier is compromised leading to complications
Solution Approach 1:
The initial low-energy pulses serve as a preliminary action that reduces the electrical impedance of the stratum corneum without breaking it. This preparation enables subsequent high-energy pulses to penetrate effectively to the dermis while the skin barrier remains intact, preventing contamination and complications.
Solution Approach 2:
The initial pulses act as an intermediary mechanism that facilitates energy penetration to the dermis without directly breaking the stratum corneum. By first reducing impedance through low-energy application, the system enables effective deep tissue treatment while maintaining the protective function of the outer skin layer.
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 enables non-invasive, non-ablative skin rejuvenation by creating thermal damage zones in the dermis or hypodermis layers while maintaining the integrity of the stratum corneum, reducing the risk of contamination and complications associated with ablative treatments.
Implementation Method 1
the initial pulse is configured to reduce the impedance of the stratum corneum
Implementation Method 2
the treatment pulse is configured to cause thermal damage within a dermis layer or a hypodermis layer of the skin tissue
Implementation Method 3
supplying the at least one first and the at least one second electrode with radio frequency (RF) energy
Implementation Method 4
the vacuum chamber being in fluid communication with at least one through hole or gap provided in the base plate configured to provide a negative pressure force on a surface of the skin tissue towards the at least one first electrode and to draw the skin tissue towards the at least one second electrode
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an apparatus for fractional treatment of skin tissue of a patient comprising a handpiece, at least one first electrode and at least one second electrode, arranged on a base plate for applying radio frequency energy, to at least one layer of the skin, wherein the apparatus is adapted to apply electrical energy to the skin tissue with a first pulse and a second pulse following the first pulse, with the first pulse being a low energy level pulse and the second pulse being a high energy level pulse having a higher energy level than the low energy level pulse.