Skin Micro-Hole Preconditioning for High-Fluence Laser Pigment Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for pigment removal using extremely short pulse (ESP) lasers face limitations in achieving high efficacy while minimizing side effects, such as skin rupture and scarring, due to the inability to safely increase laser fluence without causing damage.
Innovation Solution
The method involves preconditioning the skin by creating discrete micro holes to act as pressure release ducts, allowing for higher laser fluences and multiple treatments in a single session without causing skin damage, by enabling the release of mechanical wave energy without breaking the skin structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If laser fluence is increased to improve pigment removal efficacy, then pigment removal effectiveness is improved, but skin damage such as rupture and scarring occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The skin is pre-conditioned by creating micro-channels in the epidermis before ESP laser treatment. This preliminary action establishes pressure release pathways that prevent skin rupture during high-fluence laser pulses, enabling effective pigment removal without the usual skin damage risks
Solution Approach 2:
Micro-channels are introduced as intermediary structures that facilitate pressure release during laser treatment. These channels act as mediators between the laser energy and skin tissue, allowing mechanical wave energy to escape without causing skin rupture, thus enabling higher fluence treatment
2Productivity
If multiple laser treatments are applied in a single session to increase productivity, then treatment efficiency is improved, but skin damage and rupture risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The epidermis is pre-conditioned with micro-channels before delivering multiple laser pulses. This preliminary structuring of the skin allows subsequent multiple treatments to be performed safely in one session, as the pre-created channels provide continuous pressure relief pathways throughout the treatment sequence
Solution Approach 2:
The physical structure of the skin is changed by creating micro-channels, which alters the pressure dynamics during laser treatment. This parameter change in skin structure enables multiple high-fluence pulses to be delivered without the cumulative pressure buildup that would normally cause rupture
3Length of stationary object
If high laser fluence is used to treat deeper pigments, then penetration depth is improved, but skin damage occurs due to pressure buildup
Solution Approach 1:
Micro-channels serve as intermediary pathways that extend into the dermis, providing pressure relief at depth. These channels enable high-fluence laser pulses to reach deeper pigments while the channels simultaneously provide escape routes for pressure, preventing rupture even at increased penetration depths
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 increases the skin's damage threshold, allowing for more effective pigment removal with reduced side effects, enabling higher volumes of pigment to be disintegrated and removed in a single treatment session, and allows for multiple treatments without skin rupture.
Implementation Method 1
Melanin absorbs and localizes the high-intensity radiation from ESP lasers
Implementation Method 2
creating a sharp temperature gradient between the melanosome and surrounding structures. This gradient leads to thermal expansion and the generation and propagation of acoustic waves
Implementation Method 3
The most likely cause of pigment destruction when subjecting the pigments to ESP laser pulses are shockwave and/or cavitation damage, the photomechanical physical effects produced from thermal expansion
Implementation Method 4
The time duration (pulse duration) of the ESP laser energy is so short that the extremely small pigments of a size of 10 nm-100 nm are heated to fragmentation temperature before their heat can dissipate to the surrounding skin
Implementation Method 5
The method involves preconditioning the skin by creating discrete micro holes to act as pressure release ducts, allowing for higher laser fluences and multiple treatments in a single session without causing skin damage, by enabling the release of mechanical wave energy without breaking the skin structure
Data Source
AI summary
For lightening or eradicating pigments in human skin, a first conditioning laser optical energy having first optical parameters selected to obtain an ablative effect on the epidermal layer of human skin is provided. A target area of the human skin is conditioned by directing the first conditioning laser optical energy onto the target area and forming in an epidermal layer of the target area discrete pressure and gas release ducts across the target area. A second treatment laser optical energy is provided that has second optical parameters selected to obtain a lightening or eradicating effect on the pigments located within the human skin and to substantially avoid damaging the epidermal layer of the human skin. The second treatment laser optical energy is directed onto the target area subsequent to conditioning, and the pigments within the human skin are lightenmed or eradicated by the second treatment laser optical energy.