A long pulse alexandrite laser hair removal system is disclosed using light pulses of greater than 1 msec and fluences between 10 and 50 J/cm.sup.2. The use of an alexandrite laser allows good penetration while still achieving an acceptable combination of hemoglobin and melanin absorption. The use of an index-matching application on the skin sections to be treated is also described. This substance will be absorbed into the epidermal layer to provide better coupling of the laser light into the skin. Also, and most advantageously, it will reduce reflections at the epidermal-dermal junction, which can lead to the damage of the skin. Also a topical thermal or photochromic indicator is suggested since skin irradiation in the near-infrared generally does not produce any characteristic skin color change as is found when using pulsed dye lasers, for example.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/161,871, filed Sep. 28, 1998, now abandoned, which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/744,344, filed Nov. 7, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,479, which is related to U.S. Ser. No. 08/745,133, filed Nov. 7, 1996, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by this reference in their entirety.
A method for generating a long effective pulse duration output beam of laser radiation using a flashlamp-excited dye laser is described. A spaced series of excitation pulses is electronically generated using a pulse forming module. The series of excitation pulses are provided to a flashlamp-excited dye laser, which generates an output beam of laser radiation. The output beam is comprised of a series of spaced micropulses of laser radiation which, in combination, provide a long effective pulse duration.
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.
The invention comprises a system and method for treating an exposed tissue of a patient with a light energy. A plurality of light emitting devices are optically coupled with a patients tissue, and apply light treatments to the tissue. A driver circuit and a controller operate to drive the light emitting devices to output different intensities of light treatment to different sub-areas of the tissue being treated.
A method and apparatus are provided for performing a therapeutic treatment on a patient's skin by concentrating applied radiation of at least one selected wavelength at a plurality of selected, three-dimensionally located, treatment portions, which treatment portions are within non-treatment portions. The ratio of treatment portions to the total volume may vary from 0.1% to 90%, but is preferably less than 50%. Various techniques, including wavelength, may be utilized to control the depth to which radiation is concentrated and suitable optical systems may be provided to concentrate applied radiation in parallel or in series for selected combinations of one or more treatment portions.
A method and apparatus are provided for hair growth management by applying low energy optical radiation to a treatment area of a patient's skin, which radiation is sufficient to at least traumatize a matrix portion of each follicle being treated, but not to cause either necrosis of most of each said follicle or immediate gross alteration of any hair shaft therein. The treatments are preferably performed a plurality of times at selected time intervals to achieve a desired level of hair growth management.
