Method and apparatus for EMR treatment

Abstract

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.

1 . A method of treating a subject's skin comprising 
 applying energy to the skin so as to generate a plurality of treatment portions within a volume of the skin such that each treatment portion is separated from another treatment portion by an untreated portion of the volume.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said step of applying energy comprises applying acoustic energy.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said step of applying acoustic energy comprises focusing the acoustic energy onto said treatment portions.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said treatment portions comprise a fraction of the volume in the range of about 1% to about 90%.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said treatment portions comprise a fraction of the volume in the range of about 1% to about 50%.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said treatment portions comprise a fraction of the volume in the range of about 10% to about 30%.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said treatment portions extend from skin surface to a depth below the surface of the patient's skin.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said treatment portions are one of cylinders, spheres, ellipsoids, solid rectangles or planes.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said treatment portions are spaced lines of selected length and thickness.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said volume of the skin is pre-cooled to a selected temperature for a selected duration.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising pre-cooling said skin volume to at least one depth below the skin surface.  
   
   
       12 . A method for treating a patient's skin comprising 
 applying energy to the skin so as to generate a plurality of periodically located three dimensional treatment portions within a volume of the skin such that each treatment portion is separated from another treatment portion by an untreated portion of the skin.    
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said step of applying energy comprises applying acoustic energy.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said step of applying acoustic energy comprises applying the energy to create sub-dermal islands of damage.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising applying the acoustic energy to said treatment portions in a temporal sequence.  
   
   
       16 . Apparatus for treating the skin, comprising 
 a source capable of generating energy, and    a system capable of focusing the energy generated by the source to a plurality of three dimensional treatment portions within a volume of skin such that each treatment portion is separated from another treatment portion by an untreated portion of the volume.    
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the energy is acoustic energy.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the system for concentrating the acoustic energy comprises of at least one phase array.