Near-infrared selective photothermolysis for the treatment of ectatic blood vessels, for example, blood vessels of a portwine stain birthmark. This technique is especially applicable to deeper lying blood vessels in view of the better penetration of the near infrared light. Consequently, vessels are below a dermal/epidermal boundary can be reached. Near-infrared is defined as a range of approximately 700 to 1,200 nm. The optimal colors are near 760 or between 980 to 990 nm for most populations.
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation of co-pending application Ser. No. 08/353,565 filed on Dec. 9, 1994, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention describes a system and method to improve radiation delivery through a barrier that may be encountered during therapeutic laser procedures, particularly where the objective of treatment is to produce thermal damage or alterations to subsurface tissue constituents without destroying or altering the overlying barrier. To achieve this result, a bio-compatible fluid is preoperatively administered to the tissue. The bio-compatible fluid is a light-scattering fluid that will scatter light primarily at the desired site thereby achieving a more uniform, enhanced heating over a relatively large treatment area. In addition, a second fluid, a dispersion fluid, can be added to the tissue to function in distributing the light scattering fluid throughout the treatment site. Laser radiation is then administered, through micro pores created for example by a device such as a micro-needle patch, into the treatment site. When a micro-needle patch is employed to deliver the fluid and the radiation, it can be a single patch for both functions, or a separate patch for each function.
A method of selectively enhancing the effect of photothermal vascular targeting on tumor regression by administration of a bioreductive agent is disclosed.
Wrinkles are cosmetically removed from a superficial area of mammalian skin tissue having an epidermal layer, a basal layer, and a dermal layer, by irradiating the dermal layer through the basal layer, the irradiation being selected to be absorbed by a chromophore in the dermal layer such that collagen present in the dermal layer is heated, while the basal layer remains intact so as to substantially inhibit contact of the dermal layer with ambient air.
Wrinkles are cosmetically removed from a superficial area of mammalian skin tissue having an epidermal layer, a basal layer, and a dermal layer, by irradiating the dermal layer through the basal layer, the irradiation being selected to be absorbed by a chromophore in the dermal layer such that collagen present in the dermal layer is heated, while the basal layer remains intact so as to substantially inhibit contact of the dermal layer with ambient air.
A flashlamp-excited dye laser generating light pulses for therapy has a circulator which circulates a gain media through a dye cell. A controller coordinates operation by triggering flashlamps to excite the laser gain media while the circulator is circulating the gain media. This operation enables the effective generation of laser light pulses with a duration of at least one millisecond. The laser pulse is formed from many subpulses. If the flow velocity of dye solution is great enough such that the new solution enters the resonant cavity before the solutions in the cavity are substantially spent, subsequent subpulses are not quenched, enabling the generation of ultra-long effective pulses with high fluences. Specifically, longer effective pulses of up to 50 msec are attainable with energies of up to 50 Joules. These energies enable reasonable spot sizes, which makes the invention relevant to cutaneous as well as deep tissue therapy, for example.
