초록

Methods and systems for treating skin for aesthetic or health purposes are described. According to various embodiments, photoresponsive materials and light are delivered in a controlled fashion to produce a patterned distribution of a material in the skin.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method of producing a patterned distribution of a material within a skin region, comprising: delivering a photoresponsive material to a skin region of a subject in a first pattern; anddelivering targeted light to the skin region in a second pattern, said second pattern overlapping partially wit

1. A method of producing a patterned distribution of a material within a skin region, comprising: delivering a photoresponsive material to a skin region of a subject in a first pattern; anddelivering targeted light to the skin region in a second pattern, said second pattern overlapping partially with said first pattern, wherein photoresponsive material in the areas of overlap between said first pattern and said second pattern undergoes photomodification to form an overlap pattern of modified photoresponsive material within said skin region. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering the photoresponsive material to the skin region includes topically delivering the photoresponsive material to the skin region. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering the photoresponsive material to the skin region includes injecting the photoresponsive material into the skin region. 4. The method of claim 1, including delivering targeted light to said skin region in said second pattern by delivering targeted light to a plurality of locations in said skin region according to said second pattern. 5. The method of claim 4, including delivering targeted light to said plurality of locations by delivering targeted light to said plurality of locations under software control. 6. The method of claim 4, including delivering targeted light to said plurality of locations by delivering targeted light to said plurality of locations under microprocessor control. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering targeted light to said skin region in said second pattern includes delivering targeted light to said skin region according to a decorative pattern. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering targeted light to said skin region in said second pattern includes delivering targeted light to said skin region according to a pattern corresponding to one or more structures in said skin region. 9. The method of claim 2, including topically delivering said photoresponsive material to said skin region in the form of an aerosol, cream, emulsion, gel, liquid, fluid, gas, vapor, lotion, patch, powder, or combination thereof. 10. The method of claim 3, including delivering said photoresponsive material to said skin region by injecting said photoresponsive material below the stratum corneum of said skin region with the use of a microneedle array. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein said modified photoresponsive material is visible under natural light. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein said modified photoresponsive material is visible under ultraviolet light. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein said modified photoresponsive material is fluorescent. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein said modified photoresponsive material is a pigment, dye, pharmaceutical compound, or cosmetic material. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering targeted light to said skin region includes delivering targeted light having wavelength content, time-averaged flux and/or fluence sufficient to cause a photo cross-linking reaction of said photoresponsive material. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering targeted light to said skin region includes delivering targeted light having wavelength content, time-averaged flux and/or fluence sufficient to cause a photochromic reaction of said photoresponsive material. 17. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering targeted light to said skin region includes delivering targeted light having wavelength content, time-averaged flux and/or fluence sufficient to cause a photodimerization reaction or other photopolymerization reaction of said photoresponsive material. 18. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering said photoresponsive material to said skin region of a subject includes delivering a photochromic material. 19. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering said photoresponsive material to said skin region of a subject includes delivering a photodynamic therapy agent.