Photopatterning of skin

Abstract

Methods and systems for treating skin for aesthetic or health purposes are described. According to various embodiments, photoresponsive materials and light are delivered in a controlled fashion to produce a patterned distribution of a material in the skin.

1 .- 57 . (canceled) 
     
     
         58 . A method of producing a patterned distribution of a material within a skin region, comprising:
 delivering a photoresponsive material to at least a skin region of a subject; and   delivering targeted light to a plurality of locations within the skin region according to a pattern, the targeted light having a wavelength content, time-averaged flux and/or fluence sufficient to cause a transformation of the photoresponsive material at the plurality of locations within the skin region to a modified form to form the patterned distribution.   
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein delivering targeted light to the plurality of locations within the skin region according to the pattern produces a patterned distribution of the modified form within the skin region. 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein delivering targeted light to the plurality of locations within the skin region according to a pattern includes aiming and focusing a beam of light at each location of the plurality of locations with a system including at least one of a controllable positioning system and a controllable optical system, each location characterized by an x coordinate and y coordinate in an effectively-planar portion of the skin region. 
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein delivering targeted light to the plurality of locations within the skin region according to a pattern includes aiming and focusing beam of light at each location of the plurality of locations with a system including at least one of a controllable positioning system and a controllable optical system, each location characterized by a z coordinate corresponding to the depth of the location below a surface of the skin region. 
     
     
         62 - 63 . (canceled) 
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 58 , including delivering targeted light to the plurality of locations under software control. 
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 58 , including delivering targeted light to the plurality of locations under microprocessor control. 
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the pattern is a decorative pattern. 
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the pattern corresponds to one or more structures in the skin region. 
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 67 , including detecting one or more features in the skin region. 
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 58 , including topically delivering the photoresponsive material to at least the skin region of a subject. 
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 69 , including delivering the photoresponsive material to at least the skin region of a subject topically in the form of an aerosol, cream, emulsion, gel, liquid, fluid, gas, vapor, lotion, patch, powder, or combination thereof. 
     
     
         71 - 72 . (canceled) 
     
     
         73 . The method of  claim 58 , including delivering the photoresponsive material to at least the skin region of the subject by injecting the photoresponsive material into the skin region. 
     
     
         74 . The method of  claim 58 , including delivering the photoresponsive material to at least the skin region of the subject by injecting the photoresponsive material below the stratum corneum of the skin region with the use of a microneedle array. 
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 58 , including delivering the photoresponsive material to at least the sking region of the subject by delivering the photoresponsive material to the subject systemically. 
     
     
         76 . The method of  claim 75 , wherein delivering the photoresponsive material to the subject systemically includes delivering the photoresponsive material to the subject orally in an ingestible formulation. 
     
     
         77 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the modified form of the photoresponsive material is removed from the skin region over time. 
     
     
         78 - 79 . (canceled) 
     
     
         80 . The method of  claim 58 , further comprising removing the modified form from the skin region after a treatment period. 
     
     
         81 - 82 . (canceled) 
     
     
         83 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein unmodified photoresponsive material is removed from the skin region over time. 
     
     
         84 - 97 . (canceled) 
     
     
         98 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the modified form is a pigment, dye, pharmaceutical compound, or cosmetic material. 
     
     
         99 - 103 . (canceled) 
     
     
         104 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the photoresponsive material is selected or designed for preferential delivery to, retention by, or processing by certain tissues or cells. 
     
     
         105 . The method of  claim 61 , including selecting the z coordinate for each location such that a patterned distribution of the modified form within the skin region is formed in the epidermis of the skin region. 
     
     
         106 . The method of  claim 61 , including selecting the z coordinate for each location such that a patterned distribution of the modified form within the skin region is formed in the dermis of the skin region. 
     
     
         107 . The method of  claim 69 , further comprising enhancing diffusion of the photoresponsive material into the skin region with at least one of electrophoresis, a solvent and a carrier chemical. 
     
     
         108 . The method of  claim 77 , wherein the modified form is removed from the skin region by at least one of metabolism and sluffing of dead skin cells. 
     
     
         109 . The method of  claim 80 , further comprising removing the modified form by at least one of photo treatment, chemical treatment, or chemo-mechanical treatment. 
     
     
         110 . The method of  claim 83 , wherein unmodified photoresponsive material is removed from the skin region by at least one of metabolism and sluffing of dead skin cells. 
     
     
         111 . The method of  claim 58 , including removing unmodified photoresponsive material from the skin region by at least one of photo treatment, chemical treatment and chemo-mechanical treatment. 
     
     
         112 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the transformation is selected from a reversible transformation and an irreversible transformation. 
     
     
         113 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the transformation converts the photoresponsive material from an active to an inactive form, from an inactive to an active form, from a substantially colorless form to a colored form, from a colored form to a substantially colorless form, or from a first color to a second color; or changes the scattering or absorption properties of the photoresponsive material for light of a given waveband. 
     
     
         114 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the modified form is visible under natural light, visible under ultraviolet light, or fluorescent. 
     
     
         115 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein delivering targeted light to the plurality of locations within the skin region includes delivering targeted light having wavelength content, time-averaged flux and/or fluence sufficient to cause at least one of a photo cross-linking reaction, a photochromic reaction, a photodimerization reaction and a photopolymerization reaction of the photoresponsive material. 
     
     
         116 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein delivering the photoresponsive material to at least the skin region of the subject includes delivering at least one of a photochromic material and a photodynamic therapy agent.