Eradication of pigmentation and scar tissue

摘要

The invention is a non-surgical method for the eradication of pigmentation and scar tissue from an area of skin. The method comprises repeatedly puncturing the area of skin with an array of needles. As the needles are inserted into the skin, the needles and surface of the skin are washed with a clean solution. As the needles are withdrawn from the skin, the flow of clean solution ceases and the dirty solution, which contains cellular fluids and pigments released by the action of the needles, is removed from the surface. The invention is also a solution, which is used to clean the needles and to aid in destroying the pigment containing cells, and an apparatus, which is especially designed to move the needles into and out of the surface of the skin and to provide synchronization of the motion of the needles and flow of the solution such as to maximize the effectiveness of the method.

主权项

1. An apparatus adapted for eradicating pigmentation in an area of skin, the apparatus comprising:
a handle portion including a motor and a gear assembly for causing a reciprocating motion to a shaft connected to the gear assembly; a barrel portion surrounding the shaft, a first end of the barrel portion attached to the handle portion and a second end of the barrel portion including a tip configured and arranged to form a hermetic seal with the area of skin; an array of needles attached to an end of the shaft near the tip; an inlet port in the barrel portion, the inlet port connected to solution storage means; an outlet port in the barrel portion, the outlet port connected to suction means; a piston attached to the shaft above the array of needles, the piston configured and arranged as a cylindrical valve that is operable to provide a hydraulic seal separating a volume inside the barrel portion above the piston from a volume below the piston and to synchronize opening and closing of the inlet port and the outlet port; an inlet hole in a side wall of the piston, the inlet hole fluidly connected to a bottom of the piston thereby providing a fluid path from the volume inside the barrel portion below the piston to the inlet hole; and an outlet hole in a side wall of the piston, the outlet hole fluidly connected to the bottom of the piston thereby providing a fluid path from the volume inside the barrel portion below the piston to the outlet hole; wherein activation of the motor causes the array of needles to alternatively be pushed out of the tip of the barrel portion to puncture the area of skin to mechanically damage cells containing pigment and to be withdrawn from the area of skin back into the tip, wherein during each downward stroke of the shaft the outlet port is closed by not being lined up with the outlet hole and the inlet port is opened by being lined up with the inlet hole such that solution in the solution storage means flows through the piston into the volume inside the barrel portion below the piston onto the needles thereby rinsing the needles and a surface of the area of skin, wherein during each upward stroke of the shaft the inlet port is closed by not being lined up with the inlet hole and the outlet port is opened by being lined up with the outlet hole thereby allowing solution which flowed onto the surface of the area of skin during the downward stroke and cellular fluids and pigments released by puncturing action of the needles to be sucked through the piston out of the volume inside the barrel portion by the suctioning means, wherein synchronization of opening and closing of the inlet port and the outlet port insures separation of clean and dirty fluid in the tip and minimizes an amount of solution permeating the surface of the area of skin.