LASER METHOD FOR TREATING HYPERHIDROSIS TARGETING SWEAT GLANDS

摘要

A non-surgical, drug-free hyperhidrosis treatment includes applying infra-red laser irradiation having a wavelength of at least approximately 1064 nm to a plurality of discrete spots in the affected area. The operating parameters of the infra-red laser are adjusted so that the irradiation penetrates the skin at each spot and deactivates the underlying sweat glands. The degree of sweat suppression is controlled by adjusting the number of and spacing between the spots. The laser light can be generated by a NdYAG laser. The spot size can be approximately 2 mm, the pulse duration approximately 0.65 ms, and the laser power approximately 9300 Watts. A prior art laser source can be used to manually implement the invention, or a special purpose apparatus can automatically deflect the infra-red beam under digital control between the desired spot locations. In embodiments, the controller further controls the laser timing and other operating parameters.

主权项

1. A method for treating hyperhidrosis on an affected area of a patient's skin, the method comprising:
applying infra-red laser irradiation generated by an infra-red laser to a discrete spot within the affected area, the infra-red laser irradiation having a wavelength of about approximately 1064 nm or longer, the irradiation having sufficient power, duration, and concentration to penetrate the patient's skin in the discrete spot and irradiate any underlying sweat glands, thereby deactivating the irradiated sweat glands; redirecting the infra-red laser irradiation to another discrete spot within the affected area; and repeating the steps of applying and redirecting until a desired number of discrete spots within the affected area have been irradiated.