System and method for surgical enhancement of the lips
OwnerR. Patrick Abergelinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a surgical technique for augmentation of the lips, first and second openings are made on a lip. An implant inserting tool is inserted into the first opening and routed through the lip to and out of the second opening. The tool grabs or clamps onto an implant. The tool is then withdrawn back out through the first opening. The implant is released from the tool, with the implant remaining in the lip. The ends of the implant are trimmed and the openings closed with sutures. The surgical technique and tool minimize the risk of bruising or possible hematoma, reduces pain and trauma and allows for faster recovery. Similar techniques and tools may be used to treat skin depressions caused by acne scarring, and for treating nasal labial folds.
Claims30
A method for performing surgery on a lip of a human, comprising the steps of:
- making a first opening at a first location on the lip;
- making a second opening at a second location on the lip;
- inserting a tool into the first opening;
- routing the tool through the lip to the second opening;
- moving the a leading end of the tool at least partially out of the second opening;
- attaching the leading end of the tool to an implant;
- pulling the leading end of the tool and the implant back into the lip towards the first opening;
- separating the implant from the leading end of the tool, with the implant positioned within the lip;
- and
- withdrawing the leading end of the tool out of the first opening:
A tool for surgically inserting an implant into a lip of a human, comprising:
- a handle;
- an elongate body having a first end and a second end, with the first end attached to the handle;
- a clamp jaw on the second end of the elongate body;
- a clamp jaw operating element on the handle and linked to the clamp jaw, for opening and closing the clamp jaw.
A method for treating skin depressions comprising the steps of:
- making an incision adjacent to a first end of the skin depression;
- inserting a tool into the incision;
- creating a pocket under the skin depression via manipulation of the tool;
- withdrawing the tool from the incision;
- securing an insert onto the tool;
- moving the tool and the insert through the incision and positioning the insert in the pocket;
- and
- withdrawing the tool from the incision.
A method for treating nasal labial folds, comprising the steps of:
- making a first incision adjacent to a first end of the nasal labial fold;
- making a second incision adjacent to a second end of the nasal labial fold;
- inserting a tool through the nasal labial fold by inserting a leading end of the tool into the first incision and routing it to and out of the second incision;
- attaching an implant to the leading end of the tool;
- pulling the tool and part of the implant back out of the first incision;
- releasing the tool from the implant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.