Method of removing wrinkles

摘要

The invention features a method of removing wrinkles in a region of skin in which an optical coupler is applied to the region to cause a surface of the optical coupler to contact the ridges of the wrinkles and is spaced from the valleys of the wrinkles. Optical energy is delivered from an optical energy source through the optical coupler to the surface at an incident angle that is greater than about arcsin( n 0 / n 2 ) and less than about arcsin( n 1 / n 2 ), where n o , n 1 , and n 2 are the refractive indices of air, the skin, and the optical coupler, respectively. The optical energy is delivered with energy sufficient to smooth over the ridges of the wrinkles.