Method and apparatus for dermatological hypopigmentation

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide method and apparatus for effecting (e.g., lightening) an appearance of skin by cooling or freezing small separated surface regions of the skin to produce regions of local hypopigmentation. The width of the regions can be, for example, smaller than about 1 mm or 0.5 mm, and a distance between these frozen regions can be greater than about 3 times the width of the regions. An exemplary apparatus can be provided that includes a plurality of spatially-separated thermally conductive arrangements that can be affixed or otherwise coupled to a base. For example, the conductive arrangements can be regions of conductive material provided in or proximal to a thermal insulator, or thermally conductive protrusions affixed to the base. The conductive arrangements can be cooled and then contacted with the skin surface to produce the small regions of hypopigmentation.

1 - 37 . (canceled) 
     
     
         38 - 47 . (canceled) 
     
     
         48 . A skin treatment device for producing controlled amounts of hypopigmentation in a skin tissue of a patient, the skin treatment device comprising:
 a handle configured to facilitate handling and positioning of the skin treatment device;   a cooling contact end coupled to the handle, wherein the cooling contact end comprises a cooling contact surface configured for a non-penetrating contact with the skin tissue of the patient; and   a cooling arrangement provided in a thermal communication with the cooling contact end, and configured to cool the cooling contact end to a temperature between −4° C. to −30° C. to provide a controlled heat extraction from the skin tissue so as to locally control freezing of at least on portion of an epidermal layer of the skin tissue during contact between the skin tissue and the cooling contact surface so as to generate a hypopigmentation effect for a gradual lightening of the skin tissue,   wherein the cooling arrangement comprises a thermoelectric cooler, and wherein the cooling contact end is configured to transfer heat from the cooling contact surface to the cooling arrangement solely by conduction.   
     
     
         49 . The skin treatment device of  claim 48 , further comprising a control arrangement coupled with the thermoelectric cooler that is configured to maintain the cooling contact end at a predetermined temperature. 
     
     
         50 . The skin treatment device of  claim 49 , wherein the control arrangement includes a temperature monitor comprising at least one of a thermistor or a thermocouple. 
     
     
         51 . The skin treatment device of  claim 58 , wherein each of the plurality of protrusions has a width of 0.1 mm or more. 
     
     
         52 . The skin treatment device of  claim 58 , wherein a distance between adjacent ones of the plurality of protrusions is greater than about 3 times an average width of the plurality of protrusions so as to effect a fractional cryotherapy of the skin tissue. 
     
     
         53 . The skin treatment device of  claim 58 , wherein each of the plurality of protrusions comprises at least one of a circular shape, an elliptical shape, an oval shape, a square shape, or a rectangular cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
         54 . A skin treatment device for producing controlled amounts of hypopigmentation in a skin tissue of a patient, the skin treatment device comprising:
 a handle configured to facilitate handling and positioning of the skin treatment device;   a cooling contact end coupled to the handle, wherein the cooling contact end comprises a flat lower surface configured for a non-penetrating contact with the skin tissue of the patient;   a cooling arrangement provided in a thermal communication with the cooling contact end, and configured to cool the cooling contact end to a temperature between −4° C. to −30° C. to provide a controlled heat extraction from the skin tissue so as locally control a freezing of at least one portion of an epidermal layer of the skin tissue during contact between the skin tissue and the flat lower surface so as to generate a hypopigmentation effect for a gradual lightening of the skin tissue; and   a control arrangement coupled to the cooling arrangement that is configured to maintain the cooling contact end of the skin treatment device at a predetermined temperature.   
     
     
         55 . (canceled) 
     
     
         56 . The skin treatment device of claim  5 , wherein the control arrangement includes a temperature monitor comprising at least one of a thermistor or a thermocouple. 
     
     
         57 . The skin treatment device of  claim 54 , wherein the cooling arrangement comprises a thermoelectric cooler, and wherein the cooling contact end is configured to transfer heat from the flat lower surface to the cooling arrangement solely by conduction. 
     
     
         58 . The skin treatment device of  claim 48 , wherein the cooling contact end comprises a plurality of protrusions, and wherein each of the plurality of protrusions has a distal end configured for a non-penetrating contact with a surface of the skin tissue of the patient. 
     
     
         59 . The skin treatment device of  claim 48 , wherein the cooling contact end comprises a flat lower surface. 
     
     
         60 . The skin treatment device of  claim 59 , wherein an area of the skin tissue is configured to be contacted with the flat lower surface of the cooling contact end of the skin treatment device for greater than 15 seconds. 
     
     
         61 . The skin treatment device of  claim 60 , wherein the area of the skin tissue comprises at least one of freckles, age spots, or café au lait spots, and wherein the hypopigmentation effect lightens the at least one of the freckles, the age spots, or the café au lait spots.