Apparatus for stimulating hair growth and/or preventing hair loss

Abstract

A device to stimulate a scalp comprises an array of stimulating elements, the stimulating elements arranged along a circumference of at least one wheel, the wheel adapted to roll over the scalp. A method of treating/preventing a hair-condition comprises: subjecting the scalp to at least 200 distinct electrode-scalp contact events during a time-interval of at most one minute and dividable into 5 non-overlapping equal-duration sub-intervals covering the time-interval, method performed such that i. for at least a majority of the electrode-scalp contact events, no electrode of the event enters into the dermis; ii. a duration of each electrode contact event is at most 100 milliseconds; and iii. for each electrode contact event, an electrical current flows between the electrode and the scalp so as to deposit electrode-released ions of a first metal or of a second metal on the scalp, thereby forming a respective metal-ion-deposition island on the user's scalp.

1 - 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . A method of stimulating a scalp comprising:
 forming channels at least below an epidermal layer of skin of said scalp;   providing at least one stimulation from inside said channels;   effecting tissue adjacent to said channels; and   controlling said providing.   
     
     
         30 - 50 . (canceled) 
     
     
         51 . A device to stimulate a scalp comprising:
 an array of stimulating elements adapted to pierce skin of said scalp no deeper than a thickness of a dermis; and   an alternating current source, said stimulating elements being arranged along a circumference of at least one wheel, said wheel being adapted to roll over said scalp, wherein said stimulating elements release ions and wherein said alternating current source is adapted to drive alternate depositions of ions of a first metal and ions of a second metal to the skin, a desired material deposition of the ions, an alternating current (AC) waveform of the alternating current source being selected according to a ratio of the desired material deposition.   
     
     
         52 . The device of  claim 51  wherein the stimulating elements are coated by metal and ions of the metal are released by the stimulating elements. 
     
     
         53 . The device of  claim 51  wherein the type of ions delivered per stimulating element is controlled by controlling a polarity of voltage of each stimulating element. 
     
     
         54 . The device of  claim 51 , wherein,
 a first group of stimulating elements of said array comprise a first metal; and   a second group of stimulating elements of said array comprises a second metal.   
     
     
         55 . The device of  claim 51 , wherein said ions comprise at least one of copper ions and zinc ions. 
     
     
         56 . The device of  claim 51  wherein at least one of the stimulating elements is coated by or made from a first material that discharges zinc ions and at least one of the stimulating elements is coated by or made from a second material that discharges copper ions. 
     
     
         57 . The device of  claim 51  wherein the device is configured to operate according to operating parameters so that an efficiency of a deposition of the ions is enhanced through a dynamic modification of the operating parameters through closed-loop feedback/control. 
     
     
         58 . The device of  claim 51  wherein (i) the device comprises sensors incorporated in the device and (ii) the device is configured so that the number of ions deposited during treatment is controlled in a closed loop manner by setting a voltage between stimulating elements during the treatment based on feedback received from the sensors incorporated into the device. 
     
     
         59 . The device of  claim 51  configured to measure an impedance of the scalp and to compare a current impedance with a previously measured impedance. 
     
     
         60 . The device of  claim 51  wherein the device further comprises an encoder operable to count revolutions or partial revolutions of the wheel. 
     
     
         61 . The device of  claim 51  wherein the stimulating elements are arranged along respective circumferences of each wheel of a plurality of wheels that are parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other along a common axis. 
     
     
         62 . The device of  claim 51 , further comprising at least one element to vibrate at least one stimulating element. 
     
     
         63 . The device of  claim 51 , wherein:
 said stimulating elements of said arrays comprise at least one metal; and   said metal has an electro potential sufficient to cause ion injection, and wherein the device further comprises an alternating current source to drive a desired material deposition of the ions, an AC waveform of the alternating current source being selected according to a ratio of the desired material deposition.   
     
     
         64 . The device of  claim 63  wherein said ions comprise at least one of copper ions and zinc ions. 
     
     
         65 . The device of  claim 51  wherein the alternating current source is adapted to operate at a frequency of at most about 500 Hz. 
     
     
         66 . The device of  claim 51  wherein the alternating current source is adapted to operate at a frequency of at most about 100 Hz. 
     
     
         67 . A device to stimulate a scalp comprising:
 an array of stimulating elements adapted to pierce skin of said scalp no deeper than a thickness of a dermis; and   an alternating current source, said stimulating elements being arranged along a circumference of at least one wheel, said wheel being adapted to roll over said scalp, wherein said stimulating elements release ions and wherein said alternating current source is adapted to drive alternate depositions of copper ions and zinc ions, a desired material deposition of the ions, an alternating current (AC) waveform of the alternating current source being selected according to a ratio of the desired material deposition.   
     
     
         68 . A method of stimulating a scalp, the method comprising:
 providing the device of  claim 51 ;   operating the device so that:
 i. rolling the at least one wheel of the device so that the stimulating elements thereof pierce skin of said scalp no deeper than a thickness of a dermis; and 
 ii. operating the alternating current source of the device using the waveform that is selected according to the ratio of the desired material deposition so as to drive alternate depositions, of ions of the first and second metals, said ions being:
 A. released from the stimulating elements at the ratio of desired material deposition; and 
 B. onto the skin of the scalp.