Method for the Treatment of Mammalian Skin Tissues Via Pulse Irradiation in the Presence of a Photoactive Compound

Abstract

A method of treating mammalian skin tissues for causing a predetermined physiological change in the mammalian skin tissues. A treatment composition of matter is applied onto the mammalian skin. The mammalian skin is irradiated with a first pulse having a power density above an activation threshold power density and with a second pulse. The first pulse is emitted for a duration of from about 1 fem-tosecond to about 1 hour, and the first pulse is separated from the second pulse by an inter-pulse interval of from about 1 microsecond to about 10 seconds. The treatment composition of matter includes a photoreactive substance and is applied in an amount sufficient to cause physiological changes within the mammalian skin tissue upon the mammalian skin tissue being irradiated.

1 . A method of treating mammalian skin tissues for causing a predetermined physiological change in the mammalian skin tissues, said method comprising: 
 applying onto the mammalian skin tissues a treatment composition of matter;    irradiating the mammalian skin tissues with a first pulse having a power density 0.1 mW/cm 2  to about 10 W/Cm 2 ;    irradiating the mammalian skin tissues with a second pulse;    emitting the first pulse for a duration of from about 1 femtosecond to about 1 hour; and    separating the first pulse from the second pulse by an inter-pulse interval of about 1 microsecond to about 10 seconds;    wherein the treatment composition of matter includes a photoreactive substance and is applied in an amount sufficient to cause physiological changes within the mammalian skin tissues upon the mammalian skin being irradiated.    
   
   
       2 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the first pulse has a wavelength of from about 400 nanometers to about 1500 nanometers and the power density of the first pulse is from about 30 mW/cm 2  to about 100 mW/cm 2 .  
   
   
       3 . (canceled)  
   
   
       4 . (canceled)  
   
   
       5 . The method as defined in  claim 2 , wherein the inter-pulse interval is one of from about 10 microseconds to about 5 milliseconds and from about 100 microseconds to about 0.5 milliseconds.  
   
   
       6 . The method as defined in  claim 2 , wherein the duration is one of about 100 microseconds to about 5 milliseconds and about 250 microseconds to about 1 millisecond.  
   
   
       7 . The method as defined in  claim 2 , further comprising emitting the first pulse for about 250 microseconds to about 1 millisecond and wherein the inter-pulse interval is from about 50 microseconds to about 0.5 millisecond.  
   
   
       8 . The method as defined in  claim 2 , wherein the first pulse is emitted by at least one light emitting diode (LED).  
   
   
       9 . The method as defined in  claim 2 , wherein a ratio of the duration divided by the inter-pulse interval is one of about 0.1 to about 10 and about 0.5 to about 2.  
   
   
       10 . (canceled)  
   
   
       11 . (canceled)  
   
   
       12 . (canceled)  
   
   
       13 . (canceled)  
   
   
       14 . (canceled)  
   
   
       15 . The method as defined in  claim 2 , further comprising irradiating the mammalian skin tissues with at least two pulse trains, each pulse train including the first pulse and the second pulse, wherein the method includes: 
 emitting a first pulse train; and    separating the first pulse train from a second pulse train by an inter-pulse train interval of about 1 microsecond to about 1 second.    
   
   
       16 . The method as defined in  claim 15 , wherein the inter-pulse train interval is one of 500 microsecond to about 1 second, about 750 microseconds to about 500 milliseconds, and about 500 microseconds to about 2.25 milliseconds.  
   
   
       17 . (canceled)  
   
   
       18 . The method as defined in  claim 16 , wherein the ratio of the inter-pulse train interval to the inter-pulse interval is about 3.  
   
   
       19 . The method as defined in  claim 16 , wherein a number of pulses within each pulse train is one of 2 to 1000 pulses, 4 to 10 pulses, and 3 to 10 pulses.  
   
   
       20 . (canceled)  
   
   
       21 . The method as defined in  claim 16 , further comprising depositing a total fluence to the mammalian skin tissues of about 4 J/cm 2  to about 10 J/cm 2  from the at least two pulse trains.  
   
   
       22 . (canceled)  
   
   
       23 . (canceled)  
   
   
       24 . (canceled)  
   
   
       25 . (canceled)  
   
   
       26 . (canceled)  
   
   
       27 . (canceled)  
   
   
       28 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising cooling the mammalian skin tissues.  
   
   
       29 . The method as defined in  claim 28 , wherein the cooling the mammalian skin tissues includes cooling the mammalian skin tissues by active convective cooling.  
   
   
       30 . The method as defined in  claim 29 , wherein cooling the mammalian skin tissues-includes delivering to the mammalian skin tissues a vasodilatator in an amount effective to cause a vasodilatation within the mammalian skin tissue.  
   
   
       31 . (canceled)  
   
   
       32 . (canceled)  
   
   
       33 . (canceled)  
   
   
       34 . (canceled)  
   
   
       35 . The method as defined in  claim 21 , further comprising: 
 defining a plurality of pulse trains, each pulse train including a plurality of radiation pulses having a predetermined pulse duration;    separating the plurality of radiation pulses by an inter-pulse interval; and    separating the pulse trains by an inter-pulse train interval, the inter-pulse train interval being substantially larger than the inter-pulse interval.    
   
   
       36 . (canceled)  
   
   
       37 . (canceled)  
   
   
       38 . (canceled)  
   
   
       39 . (canceled)  
   
   
       40 . The method as defined in  claim 35 , wherein the inter-train interval is between about 700 microseconds and about 500 milliseconds.  
   
   
       41 . The method as defined in  claim 16 , further comprising 
 irradiating the tissue over a plurality of treatments, wherein a treatment includes one or more pulse trains; and    providing an inter-treatment time interval between treatments.    
   
   
       42 . The method as defined in  claim 41 , wherein the plurality of treatments includes from 2 to 50 treatments.  
   
   
       43 . The method as defined in  claim 42 , wherein the plurality of treatments includes from 2 to 12 treatments.  
   
   
       44 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the radiation is suitable for treating at least one of cutaneous textural changes induced by aging, cutaneous textural changes induced by photodamage, cutaneous textural changes induced by atrophic acne, mild erythema, dyspigmentation of the skin, hyperkeratotic lesions of the skin, hyperkeratotic diseases of the skin, inflammatory lesions of the skin, inflammatory diseases of the skin, neoplastic and pre-neoplastic diseases of the skin, granulomatous diseases of the skin, and infectious diseases of the skin.  
   
   
       45 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein irradiating the mammalian skin tissues includes irradiating the mammalian skin tissues with radiation including a wavelength absorbed at least in part by the photoreactive substance.  
   
   
       46 . A method as defined in  claim 45 , wherein the photoreactive substance includes at least one of a copper peptide or vitamin C.  
   
   
       47 . A method as defined in  claim 45 , wherein the photoreactive substance includes at least one of an oligopeptide or an anti-oxidant vitamin.  
   
   
       48 . A method as defined in  claim 45 , wherein the photoreactive substance includes at least one of: a peptide, a chromophore, a vitamin derivative, a chlorophyll derivative, an anti-oxidant or a free radical quencher.  
   
   
       49 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein irradiating the mammalian skin is performed after a predetermined incubation time further to applying the treatment composition of matter.  
   
   
       50 . A method as defined in  claim 49 , wherein the predetermined incubation time is from about 1 second to about 1 week.  
   
   
       51 . A method as defined in  claim 50 , wherein the predetermined incubation time is from about 1 minute to about 24 hours.  
   
   
       52 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said method is performed in vitro on a mammalian skin tissue culture.  
   
   
       53 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said method is performed in vivo on mammalian skin.  
   
   
       54 . A method as defined in  claim 53 , wherein the mammalian skin is human skin.  
   
   
       55 . Use of a photoreactive substance in the preparation of a treatment composition of matter for treating mammalian skin tissues, treating the mammalian skin tissues causing a predetermined physiological change in the mammalian skin tissues, wherein the treatment composition of matter is applied onto the mammalian skin tissues, following which: 
 the mammalian skin tissues are irradiated with a first pulse having a power density above an activation threshold power density;    the mammalian skin tissues are irradiated with a second pulse;    the first pulse is emitted for a duration of from about 1 femtosecond to about 1 hour; and    the first pulse is separated from the second pulse by an inter-pulse interval of about 1 microsecond to about 10 seconds    wherein the treatment composition of matter includes a photoreactive substance and is applied in an amount sufficient to cause physiological changes within the mammalian skin tissues upon the mammalian skin tissues being irradiated.    
   
   
       56 .- 107 . (canceled)