Method for treating skin and underlying tissue
AssigneeThermage, Inc.
InventorEdward W. Knowlton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for treating a tissue site couples an energy delivery surface of an electromagnetic energy delivery device with a skin surface. An underlying tissue area beneath the skin surface is created. The cooling creates a reverse thermal gradient, where a temperature of the skin surface is less than a temperature of the underlying tissue area. Energy is delivered from the energy delivery device to the underlying tissue area. The energy delivery modifies the underlying tissue area and decreases irregularities of the skin surface.
Claims93
A method for treating a tissue site underlying a skin surface, the method comprising:
- coupling an energy delivery surface of an RF energy delivery device with the skin surface;
- cooling the tissue site to create a reverse thermal gradient in which a temperature of the skin surface is less than a temperature of the tissue site;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering RF energy from the RF energy delivery device to the tissue site to modify the tissue site and decrease irregularities of the skin surface.
A method for treating collagen containing tissue underlying a skin surface with an RF energy delivery device, the method comprising:
- coupling an energy delivery surface of the RF energy delivery device with the skin surface;
- creating a reverse thermal gradient through the skin surface while heating the collagen containing tissue in which a temperature of the skin surface is lower than a temperature of the collagen containing tissue;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering a sufficient amount of RF energy to the collagen containing tissue to create scar collagen.
A method of treating acne scars at a skin epidermis surface with an RF energy source, the method comprising:
- producing RF energy from the RF energy source;
- non-ablatively delivering the RF energy from the RF energy source through the skin epidermis surface to a collagen containing tissue site underlying the skin epidermis surface for a sufficient time to form scar collagen;
- and
- modifying the skin epidermis surface with the scar collagen to treat the acne scars.
A method for treating acne scars at a skin surface with an underlying collagen containing tissue, the method comprising:
- coupling an RF energy delivery device surface with the skin surface for non-ablatively delivering RF energy to the collagen containing tissue;
- creating a reverse thermal gradient through the skin surface to sufficiently heat the collagen containing tissue in which a temperature of the skin surface is lower than a temperature of the collagen containing tissue;
- creating scar collagen when the collagen containing tissue is heated;
- and
- modifying the skin surface with the scar collagen to reduce the acne scars at the skin surface.
A method of treating a skin surface having scars with an RF energy source with an energy delivery surface, the method comprising:
- coupling the energy delivery surface with the skin surface;
- producing RF energy from the RF energy source;
- creating a reverse thermal gradient in which a temperature of the skin surface is less than a temperature of collagen containing tissue underlying the skin surface;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering the RF energy through the skin surface to the collagen containing tissue and forming scar collagen in at least a portion of the collagen containing tissue to modify the scars.
A method of reducing the activity of sebaceous glands in a tissue site using an RF energy source, the method comprising:
- producing RF energy from the RF energy source;
- non-ablatively delivering the RF energy through a skin epidermis surface to the tissue site for a time sufficient to thermally injure the sebaceous glands;
- and
- reducing the activity of the sebaceous glands in the tissue site.
A method of reducing the size of a sebaceous gland in a tissue site using an RF energy source, the method comprising:
- producing RF energy from the RF energy source;
- non-ablatively delivering the RF energy from the RF energy source through a skin epidermis surface to the tissue site for a time sufficient to thermally injure the sebaceous gland;
- and
- reducing the size of the sebaceous gland in the tissue site with the thermal injury.
The method of 18, wherein delivering the RF energy further comprises:
- modifying the collagen at the tissue site.
A method of treating skin pores using an RF energy source, the method comprising:
- producing RF energy from the RF energy source;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering the RF energy from the RF energy source through a skin epidermis surface to a collagen containing tissue site underlying the skin epidermis surface for a time sufficient to treat the skin pores.
A method of reducing the activity of a sebaceous gland, the method comprising:
- coupling an energy delivery surface of an RF energy delivery device with a skin surface;
- cooling a tissue site underlying the skin surface to create a reverse thermal gradient in which a temperature of the skin surface is lower than a temperature of the underlying tissue area;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering RF energy from the energy delivery device to the tissue site to modify the tissue site and reduce the activity of the sebaceous gland in the tissue site.
A method of reducing the size of a sebaceous gland, the method comprising:
- coupling an energy delivery surface of an RF energy delivery device with a skin surface;
- cooling a tissue site underlying the skin surface to create a reverse thermal gradient in which a temperature of the skin surface is lower than a temperature of the tissue site;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering RF energy from the energy delivery device to the tissue site to modify the tissue site and reduce the size of the sebaceous gland in the tissue site.
A method of treating skin pores, the method comprising:
- coupling an energy delivery surface of an RF energy delivery device with a skin surface;
- cooling a tissue site underlying the skin surface to create a reverse thermal gradient in which a temperature of the skin surface is less than a temperature of the tissue site;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering RF energy from the RF energy delivery device to the tissue site to modify the tissue site and treat the skin pores.
A method of treating clogged skin pores, the method comprising:
- coupling an energy delivery surface of an RF energy delivery device with a skin surface;
- cooling a tissue site underlying the skin surface to create a reverse thermal gradient in which a temperature of the skin surface is less than a temperature of the tissue site;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering RF energy from the RF energy delivery device to the tissue site to modify the tissue site and treat the clogged skin pores.
A method of treating acne, the method comprising:
- coupling an energy delivery surface of an RF energy delivery device with a skin surface;
- cooling a tissue site underlying the skin surface to create a reverse thermal gradient in which a temperature of the skin surface is less than a temperature of the tissue site;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering RF energy from the RF energy delivery device to the tissue site to modify the tissue site and reduce the activity of at least a portion of the sebaceous glands in the tissue site for treating the acne.
A method of treating acne, the method comprising:
- coupling an energy delivery surface of an RF energy delivery device with a skin surface;
- cooling a tissue site underlying the skin surface to create a reverse thermal gradient in which a temperature of the skin surface is less than a temperature of the tissue site;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering RF energy from the RF energy delivery device to the tissue site to modify the tissue site and reduce the size of at least a portion of the sebaceous glands in the tissue site for treating the acne.
A method of treating acne, the method comprising:
- coupling an energy delivery surface of an RF energy delivery device with a skin surface;
- cooling a tissue site underlying the skin surface to create a reverse thermal gradient in which a temperature of the skin surface is less than a temperature of the tissue site;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering RF energy from the RF energy delivery device to the tissue site to modify the tissue site and reduce the size of skin pores for treating the acne.
A method of treating hyperhydrosis, the method comprising:
- coupling an energy delivery surface of an RF energy delivery device with a skin surface;
- cooling a tissue site underlying the skin surface to create a reverse thermal gradient in which a temperature of the skin surface is less than a temperature of the tissue site;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering RF energy from the RF energy delivery device to the tissue site to modify the tissue site and reduce the amount of sweat produced by sweat glands in the tissue site.
A method of treating hyperhydrosis, the method comprising:
- coupling an energy delivery surface of an RF energy delivery device with a skin surface;
- cooling a tissue site underlying the skin surface to create a reverse thermal gradient in which a temperature of the skin surface is less than a temperature of the tissue site;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering RF energy from the RF energy delivery device to the tissue site to modify the tissue site and reduce a size of sweat glands in the tissue site.
A method of reducing hair growth, the method comprising:
- coupling an energy delivery surface of an RF energy delivery device with a skin surface;
- cooling a tissue site underlying the skin surface to create a reverse thermal gradient in which a temperature of the skin surface is less than a temperature of the tissue site;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering RF energy from the RF energy delivery device to the tissue site to modify the tissue site and hair follicles to reduce the growth of hair in the hair follicles.
A method of inducing the growth of hair, the method comprising:
- coupling an energy delivery surface of an RF energy delivery device with a skin surface;
- cooling a tissue site underlying the skin surface to create a reverse thermal gradient in which a temperature of the skin surface is less than a temperature of the tissue site;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering RF energy from the RF energy delivery device to the tissue site to modify the tissue site and hair follicles to stimulate the growth of hair from the hair follicles.
A method for treating a tissue site with an energy delivery device coupled to an energy delivery device source, the method comprising:
- cooling a tissue site underlying the skin surface to create a reverse thermal gradient in which a temperature of the skin surface is less than a temperature of the tissue site;
- and
- non-ablatively delivering RF energy from the RF energy delivery device to the tissue site to create a tissue effect.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.