Method And Apparatus For Improved Vascular Related Treatment

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for selectively heating blood vessels in a patients skin to effect a desired dermatological (medical or cosmetic) treatment. For shallow vessels, particularly plexus vessels and superficial vessels/veins, radiation is applied to the vessels involved in the treatment which includes substantial radiation in a blue band of approximately 380-450 nm. The invention also involves maximizing the radiation used for which the safety radio for the area being treated is greater then one and minimizing the radiation used for which the safety ratio is less then one. This generally involves, depending on the blood vessel involved in the treatment and the patient's skin type, using radiation in one or more of a blue, green-yellow and near infrared wavelength band and filtering out radiation at other wavelengths, including radiation between the wavelength bands used.

1 . A method for performing dermatological treatments on blood vessels at depths less than about 0.5 mm below a skin surface by applying optical radiation to a treatment area which includes substantial radiation in a blue wavelength band of approximately 380-450 nm. 
   
   
       2 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the optical radiation is coherent radiation and is of a wavelength in a range of approximately 400-450 nm. 
   
   
       3 . A method as claimed in  claim 2  wherein the wavelength of the coherent optical radiation is approximately 420-440 nm. 
   
   
       4 . A method as claimed in  claim 2  wherein radiation in a green-yellow wavelength band of 500-610 nm is also applied to the treatment area. 
   
   
       5 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the optical radiation is non-coherent broadband radiation, and wherein the blue radiation is in a band from 380-450 nm. 
   
   
       6 . A method as claimed in  claim 5  wherein the radiation has a double band spectrum including approximately 380-450 nm in the blue band and also including approximately 500-610 nm in a green-yellow band. 
   
   
       7 . A method as claimed in  claim 6  wherein said optical radiation is non-coherent broadband radiation having a triple band spectrum within the approximately 380-450 nm blue band, the approximately 500-610 nm green band and also includes radiation within an NIR band. 
   
   
       8 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  including applying pressure to a patient's skin to remove blood from blood vessels in an area of treatment above blood vessels for which treatment is desired. 
   
   
       9 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  including cooling a patient's skin above an area of treatment. 
   
   
       10 . A method for performing treatments involving blood vessels by:
 providing a broad-band optical radiation source, filtering radiation from said source to pass only wavelengths from said source providing a safety ratio which is approximately at least one, and applying filtered radiation from said source to the blood vessels involved in the treatment.   
   
   
       11 . A method as claimed in  claim 10  wherein radiation filtered from said source includes radiation having a wavelength from approximately 610 nm to 800 nm. 
   
   
       12 . A method as claimed in  claim 10  wherein radiation filtered from said source includes radiation having a wavelength from approximately 610 nm to 900 nm 
   
   
       13 . A method as claimed in  claim 10  wherein radiation filtered from said source includes radiation having a wavelength from approximately 450 nm to 500 nm. 
   
   
       14 . A method as claimed in  claim 10  wherein radiation filtered from said source includes radiation having a wavelength longer than 1120 nm. 
   
   
       15 . A method as claimed in  claim 10  including applying pressure to a patient's skin to remove blood from blood vessels in an area of treatment above blood vessels for which treatment is desired. 
   
   
       16 . A method as claimed in  claim 10  including cooling a patient's skin above an area of treatment. 
   
   
       17 . A method as claimed in  claim 10  wherein radiation passed during said filtering step includes radiation in a blue wavelength band and radiation in a green-yellow wavelength band, radiation between said bands being filtered out. 
   
   
       18 . A method as claimed in  claim 17  wherein radiation passed during said filtering step includes radiation in an NIR wavelength band, radiation between said green-yellow band and said NIR band being filtered out. 
   
   
       19 . A method as claimed in  claim 10  wherein radiation passed during said filtering step includes radiation in a blue wavelength band and radiation in an NIR wavelength band, at least some radiation between said bands being filtered out. 
   
   
       20 . A method as claimed in  claim 10  wherein radiation passed during said filtering step includes radiation in a green-yellow wavelength band and radiation in an NIR wavelength band, radiation between said bands being filtered out. 
   
   
       21 . A method for performing treatments involving blood vessels by:
 providing a broad-band optical radiation source, filtering radiation from said source to pass only selected wavelengths from said source which are in at least two of the blue, green-yellow and near infrared (NIR) wavelength bands, at least some of the radiation in wavelengths between the passed radiation bands being filtered out, and applying filtered radiation from said source to the blood vessels involved in the treatment.   
   
   
       22 . A method as claimed in  claim 21  wherein radiation from all three of said bands are passed during said filtering step. 
   
   
       23 . A method for performing treatments involving veins by:
 providing a broad-band optical radiation source, filtering radiation from said source to pass only selected wavelengths from said source, the wavelengths and duration of the radiation being selected to provide substantially uniform heating of each vessel, and applying filtered radiation from said source to the vessel involved in the treatment.   
   
   
       24 . A method as claimed in  claim 23  wherein radiation passed during said filtering step includes radiation in a green-yellow wavelength band and radiation in an NIR wavelength band, radiation between said bands being filtered out. 
   
   
       25 . A method as claimed in  claim 23  wherein the pulse duration is approximately 0.1 to 100 times the thermal relaxation time of the vessel involved in the treatment. 
   
   
       26 - 49 . (canceled)