Method and apparatus for dermatological hypopigmentation

A skin treatment device for producing controlled amounts of hypopigmentation in a skin tissue of a patient, the skin treatment device comprising:

• a handle configured to facilitate handling and positioning of the skin treatment device;
• a cooling contact end coupled to the handle, wherein the cooling contact end comprises a plurality of protrusions each having a distal end configured for a non-penetrating contact with the skin tissue of the patient;
• a cooling arrangement provided in a thermal communication with the cooling contact end, and configured to cool the cooling contact end to a temperature between −4° C. to −30° C. to provide a controlled heat extraction from the skin tissue so as to locally control freezing of at least a portion of an epidermal layer of the skin tissue during contact between the skin tissue and the cooling contact end so as to generate a hypopigmentation effect for a gradual lightening of the skin tissue, wherein the cooling arrangement comprises a thermoelectric cooler, and wherein the cooling contact end is configured to transfer heat from the cooling contact end to the cooling arrangement solely by conduction;
• and
• an insulation provided between the plurality of protrusions such that the insulation is coplanar with the distal ends of the plurality of protrusions so as to form a flush contact surface.

A skin treatment device for producing controlled amounts of hypopigmentation in skin tissue of a patient, the skin treatment device comprising:

• a handle configured to facilitate handling and positioning of the skin treatment device;
• a cooling contact end coupled to the handle, wherein the cooling contact end comprises a flat lower surface configured for non-penetrating contact with skin tissue of a patient;
• a cooling arrangement provided in thermal communication with the cooling contact end, and configured to cool the cooling contact end to a temperature between −4° C. to −30° C. to provide a controlled heat extraction from the skin tissue so as to locally control freezing of at least a portion of an epidermal layer of the skin tissue during contact between the skin tissue and the flat lower surface so as to generate a hypopigmentation effect for a gradual lightening of the skin tissue, wherein the cooling arrangement comprises a thermoelectric cooler, and wherein the cooling contact end is configured to transfer heat from the flat lower surface to the cooling arrangement solely by conduction;
• and
• an insulation coupled to the flat lower surface of the cooling contact end, wherein the flat lower surface is configured to contact the skin tissue via a plurality of openings in the insulation so as to freeze a plurality of spatially separated spots of the skin tissue.

A skin treatment device for producing controlled amounts of hypopigmentation in a skin tissue of a patient, the skin treatment device comprising:

• a handle configured to facilitate handling and positioning of the skin treatment device;
• a cooling contact end coupled with the handle, the cooling contact end having a flat lower surface configured for a non-penetrating contact with the skin tissue of the patient;
• a cooling arrangement provided in a thermal communication with the cooling contact end, and configured to cool the flat lower surface to a temperature between −4° C. to −30° C. to provide controlled heat extraction from the skin tissue so as to locally control freezing of at least at least one portion of an epidermal layer of the skin tissue during contact between the skin tissue and the flat lower surface so as to generate a hypopigmentation effect for gradual lightening of the skin tissue;
• a control arrangement coupled to the cooling arrangement that is configured to maintain the cooling contact end of the skin treatment device at a predetermined temperature;
• and
• an insulation coupled to the flat lower surface of the cooling contact end, wherein the flat lower surface is configured to contact the skin tissue via a plurality of openings in the insulation to freeze a plurality of spatially separated spots of the skin tissue.