Optical radiation treatment for prevention of surgical scars

Abstract

The present invention includes a method for the prevention of a scar on the skin of a patient after the beginning healing of a wound or surgical site on that patient. The method comprises the steps of providing an optical radiation apparatus with a handpiece communicating therewith, energyzing the optical radiation apparatus to provide a beam of light, directing the light beam onto a wound or surgical site of a patient after 2 days and before 2 months from the date of injury or surgical procedure to the patient. The beam has a wavelength range of about 530 nm to 1000 nm and the beam has a fluence range of from 2J/cm 2 to 12J/cm 2 . The beam is preferrably generated by a pulsed dye laser apparatus.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A method for the prevention of a scar on the skin of a patient after the beginning healing of a wound or surgical site, comprising the steps of: 
 providing a pulse dye laser apparatus with a laser handpiece communicating therewith;    energyzing said pulse dye laser apparatus to provide a beam of laser light; and    directing said pulse dye laser beam onto a wound or surgical site of a patient after 2 days and before 2 months from the date of injury or surgical procedure on said patient.    
     
     
         2 . The method for the prevention of a scar on the skin of a patient as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said pulse dye laser beam has a wavelength range of about 575 nm to about 600 nm.  
     
     
         3 . The method for the prevention of a scar on the skin of a patient as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said pulse dye laser beam has a wavelength of 585 nm.  
     
     
         4 . The method for the prevention of a scar on the skin of a patient as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said pulsed dye laser beam has a fluence range of from 2J/cm 2  to 12J/cm 2 .  
     
     
         5 . The method for the prevention of a scar on the skin of a patient as recited in  claim 3 , wherein said pulsed dye laser beam has a pulse width range of about 0.1 ms to 1.5 ms.  
     
     
         6 . The method for the prevention of a scar on the skin of a patient as recited in  claim 3 , wherein said pulsed dye laser beam has a pulse width of about 0.5 ms.  
     
     
         7 . The method for the prevention of a scar on the skin of a patient as recited in  claim 4 , wherein said pulsed dye laser beam has a beam size range of about 3 mm to about 10 mm in diameter.  
     
     
         8 . A method for the prevention of a scar on the skin of a patient after the beginning healing of a wound or surgical site, comprising the steps of: 
 providing an optical radiation apparatus with a handpiece communicating therewith;    energyzing said optical radiation apparatus to provide a beam of light;    directing said light beam onto a wound or surgical site after 2 days and before 2 months from the date of injury or surgical procedure, wherein said light beam has a wavelength range of about 530 nm to 1000 nm, said light beam has a fluence range of form 2J/cm 2  to 12J/cm 2 .    
     
     
         9 . The method for the prevention of a scar on the skin of a patient after the beginning healing of a wound or surgical site as recited in  claim 8 , including the steps of: 
 maintaining said wavelength of said light beam at about 585 nm; and    maintaining said pulse width to a range of 0.1 ms to 10 ms.    
     
     
         10 . A method for the treating a patient with a wound or surgical site in a pre-scarring condition, comprising the steps of: 
 providing an optical radiation apparatus with a handpiece communicating therewith;    energyzing said optical radiation apparatus to provide a wound treating beam of light;    directing said light beam onto a wound or surgical site of said patient after 2 days and before 2 months from the date of injury or surgical procedure, to prevent the occurrence of scar formation at said wound or procedure site.    
     
     
         11 . The method for the treating a patient with a wound or surgical site as recited in  claim 10 , wherein said light beam is a pulsed dye laser beam having a wavelength range of about 530 nm to 100 nm, and a fluence range of from 2J/cm 2  to 12J/cm 2 .  
     
     
         12 . The method for the treating a patient with a wound or surgical site as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said laser beam has a pulse width of about 0.1 ms to 10.0 ms, and a beam size of about 3 mm to about 10 mm in diameter.