# US 6,387,089 B1 · Method and apparatus for skin rejuvination and wrinkle smoothing

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- Number: US 6,387,089 B1
- Document ID: US6387089B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 09/307,874
- Filed: 1999-05-10
- Granted: 2002-05-14
- Earliest claimed: 1995-09-15
- Assignees: Lumenis Ltd.
- Inventors: Michael Kreindel; Shimon Eckhouse
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6387089B1

## CPC

- A61B 18/203: {applying laser energy to the outside of the body}
- A61B 2017/00172: {Pulse trains, bursts, intermittent continuous operation}
- A61B 2017/00761: {Removing layer of skin tissue, e.g. wrinkles, scars or cancerous tissue}
- A61B 2018/00023: {closed, i.e. without wound contact by the fluid}
- A61B 2018/00452: {Skin}
- A61B 2018/0047: {Upper parts of the skin, e.g. skin peeling or treatment of wrinkles}
- A61B 2018/1807: {using light other than laser radiation}
- A61N 2005/0659: {infrared}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B)

## Abstract

A method and apparatus for treating skin including applying pulsed light to the skin for heating and shrinking collagen within the skin, thereby reviving the elasticity of the collagen and of the skin. The epidermis and outer layers of the skin may be protected by cooling with a transparent substance, such as ice, gel or crystal. The temperature distribution within the skin is controlled by controlling the delay between the time the coolant is applied, and the time the light is applied, by controlling the pulse duration and applying multiple pulses, and by filtering the light and controlling the radiation spectrum. Preferably, the spectrum includes light having a wavelength in the range of 500-2000 nm. The pulsed light may be incoherent, such as that produced by a flashlamp, or coherent, such as that produced by a Nd(Yag) laser,an Alexandrite laser, a Diode laser, an Er:glass laser or a ruby laser, and may be directed to the skin using a flexible or rigid light guide.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of smoothing wrinkles in a region of wrinkled skin comprising the steps of:
applying pulsed light to a surface of said region of wrinkled skin for heating said region of wrinkled skin;
heating collagen in said region of wrinkled skin to a temperature that will shrink the collagen sufficiently to reduce the wrinkles,
wherein said step of applying pulsed light includes a step of applying non-coherent light having wavelength in the range of 500-2000 nm.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the step of applying pulsed light includes a step of applying light having fluence in the range of 5 to 200 J/cm2.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the step of applying pulsed light includes a step of applying light having pulse duration in the range of 1 to 300 milliseconds.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the step of applying pulsed light includes a step of applying light pulses modulated from short pulses.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the step of applying pulsed light includes a step of applying light having a spot size in the range of 1 mm to 10 cm.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further including a step of directing the light to the skin using a flexible light guide.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further including a step of directing the light to the skin using a rigid light guide.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of protecting the epidermis and outer layers of the skin by cooling the epidermis and outer layers of the skin.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further including a step of controlling a pulse duration and applying multiple pulses to control a temperature distribution within the skin.