Patent Publication Number: US-2010121418-A1

Title: Skin cooling system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0112557, filed on Nov. 13, 2008, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGOUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a skin cooling system, and more particularly, to a skin cooling system which can improve skin cooling efficiency and significantly reduce thermal damage and pain caused by heat generated during treatment using a handpiece for injecting cold air, water, or a mixture of cold air and water. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In general, medical devices used in various skin treatments such as medical laser devices, high frequency systems, etc. are used to treat skin diseases by applying heat to the skin. Such medical devices generate heat by conversion of light or vibration energy during operation to treat the skin diseases. The heat is used to treat the object such as skin. 
     As such, the skin diseases are treated using the heat generated by the conversion of light energy; however, when a large amount of heat is accumulated in the skin during treatment, it may cause skin damage. Thus, the skin is cooled before or during treatment to prevent the thermal damage, thereby reducing skin damage and pain caused by the heat. 
     Methods of cooling the skin during treatment include a cooling method using cold air, a contact cooling method, a vaporization cooling method using cryogen, an ice pack or ice roller cooling method using ice, and the like. 
     However, the conventional methods of cooling the skin during treatment have the following problems. 
     The cooling method using cold air cools the skin during treatment by applying cold air to the surface of the skin. However, the capability of transmitting the temperature is very low, which results in a low cooling efficiency and a long cooling time. 
     The contact cooling method also has problems in that the configuration of a handpiece tip, a device for treating skin diseases by contacting the skin, is limited, it is difficult to uniformly contact the surface of the skin during treatment, and thus the cooling efficiency is limited. 
     The vaporization cooling method can cool the skin for a short time; however, the cooling retention time is very short, and it may cause frostbite on exposed skin. 
     The ice pack or ice roller cooling method also has problems in that the ice pack or ice roller used to cool the skin should be frequently changed, which requires a long preparation time, and it is difficult to use the ice pack or ice roller during the treatment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above-described problems associated with prior art. Accordingly, the present invention provides a skin cooling system, which can cool the skin during treatment for a short time, significantly reduce thermal damage and pain caused by heat generated by conversion of light energy during treatment, and prevent sequelae after treatment using a handpiece that injects cold air, water, or a mixture of cold air and water. 
     In one aspect, the present invention provides a skin cooling system including: a handpiece for focusing therapeutic light energy onto the surface of the skin for treatment and injecting cold air, water, or a mixture of cold air and water to the skin during treatment; a cold air supply means connected to the handpiece to supply cold air; and a water supply means connected to the handpiece to supply water. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the handpiece includes: a grip body; an optical unit mounted in the middle of the grip body and generating therapeutic light energy; a spray nozzle mounted on an inner side of the grip body and injecting cold air, water, or a mixture of cold air and water to the skin; a skin contact surface integrally formed at a lower end of the grip body; a working (cooling) chamber which is concavely upward in the center of the skin contact surface; a window mounted on the upper part of the working (cooling) chamber to protect the optical unit from foreign substances; a nozzle port formed on one side wall of the working (cooling) chamber and injecting cold air, water, or a mixture of cold air and water from the spray nozzle to the skin; and a connecting pipe provided on an inner side of the grip body to connect the spray nozzle and the nozzle port. 
     In another preferred embodiment, the handpiece further includes: an intake port formed on the other side wall of the working (cooling) chamber to suck the water injected to the surface of the skin through the nozzle port and foreign substances generated during treatment; and an intake pipe connected to the intake port and mounted on the other inner side of the grip body. 
     In still another preferred embodiment, an outlet of the intake pipe is connected to a water/foreign substance remover for providing a vacuum suction force. 
     In yet another preferred embodiment, the cold air supply means for supplying the cold air to the hand-piece includes: a dust filter for removing foreign substances contained in the air; an air compressor for compressing air; an air tank for storing the compressed air at a predetermined pressure; a regulator for regulating the pressure of the air discharged from the air tank and discharging the pressure-regulated air; a water/oil remover for removing water and oil in the discharged air; an air cooler for cooling the dry air to a predetermined temperature; a first valve connected to an outlet of the air cooler; a flow meter for controlling the amount of cold air discharged through the first valve; and a first connecting line for connecting an outlet of the flow meter and the spray nozzle of the handpiece. 
     In still yet another preferred embodiment, the water supply means for supplying cold water to the hand-piece includes: a water tank having a predetermined volume; a pump for supplying water from the water tank; a water cooler for cooling the water supplied by the pump to a predetermined temperature; a second valve connected to an outlet of the water cooler; and a second connecting line for connecting an outlet of the second valve and the spray nozzle of the handpiece. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other features of the present invention will be described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof illustrated the attached drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a skin cooling system in accordance with the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a handpiece, a main component of the skin cooling system in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a skin cooling system in accordance with the present invention, and  FIG. 2  is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a handpiece, a main component of the skin cooling system in accordance with the present invention. 
     The skin cooling system in accordance with the present invention includes a handpiece as a main component having the function of focusing therapeutic light energy (e.g., laser beam) onto the skin and generating heat, and the function of injecting cold air, water, or a mixture of cold air and water to the skin for cooling during treatment. The handpiece is connected to a cold air supply means for supplying cold air and a water supply means for supplying cooling water. 
     The configuration of the handpiece will be described in more detail below. 
     The handpiece  100  is a component which will is held in an operator&#39;s hand and brought into contact with the skin for treatment using therapeutic light energy, and includes a grip body  102  that an operator can hold. 
     An optical unit  104 , which focuses the therapeutic light energy, i.e., laser beam, onto the skin and transmits the light energy to the skin is mounted in the middle of the inside of the grip body  102  of the handpiece  100 . 
     Moreover, a skin contact surface  106  having a horizontal surface which will be brought into direct contact with the skin is integrally formed at a lower end of the grip body  102  of the handpiece  100 . A working (cooling) chamber  108  which is concave upward is placed in the center of the skin contact surface  106 . 
     A window  110  for preventing foreign substances generated during skin treatment from being introduced into the optical unit  104  is integrally mounted on the upper part of the working (cooling) chamber  108 . 
     Especially, a nozzle port  112 , through which cold air, water, or a mixture of cold air and water is injected to the skin, is provided on one side wall of the working (cooling) chamber  108 . 
     Moreover, a spray nozzle  114  for injecting cold air, water, or a mixture of cold air and water to the skin through the nozzle port  112  is integrally mounted on an inner side of the grip body  102  of the handpiece  100 , and the spray nozzle  114  and the nozzle port  112  are connected to each other by a connecting pipe  116 . 
     The configuration of the cold air supply means connected to the spray nozzle of the handpiece to supply cold air to the handpiece will be described in detail below. 
     A dust filter  202  for removing foreign substances contained in the air and an air compressor  204  for compressing air are disposed in a front portion of the cold air supply means  200 , and an air tank  206  for storing the compressed air at a predetermined pressure is located at an outlet of the air compressor  204 . 
     A regulator  208  for regulating the pressure of the air discharged from the air tank  206  and discharging the pressure-regulated air is connected to an outlet of the air tank  206 , and a water/oil remover  210  for removing water and oil in the air is located at an outlet of the regulator  208 . 
     An air cooler  212  for cooling the dry air, from which water and oil are removed, to a predetermined temperature is located at an outlet of the water/oil remover  210 . The dry air is cooled to a predetermined temperature by a vortex tube in the air cooler  212 . 
     A first valve  214 , a kind of electromagnetic solenoid valve, is connected to an outlet of the air cooler  212 , and a flow meter  216  for controlling the optional amount of cold air discharged is connected to an outlet of the first valve  214 . 
     Here, the outlet of the flow meter  216  and the spray nozzle  114  of the handpiece  100  are connected to each other by a first connecting line  218 . 
     Next, the configuration of the water supply means connected to the spray nozzle of the handpiece to supply cooling water to the handpiece will be described in detail. 
     The water supply means  300  includes a water tank  302  having a predetermined volume and containing water for cooling the skin, a pump  304  connected to an outlet of the water tank  302  and supplying water, a water cooler  306  for cooling the water supplied by the pump  304  to a predetermined temperature, and a second valve  308 , a kind of electromagnetic solenoid valve, connected to an outlet of the water cooler  306 . 
     Here, the outlet of the second valve  308  and the spray nozzle  114  of the handpiece  100  are connected to each other by a second connecting line  310 . 
     Meanwhile, the handpiece  100  further includes a means for absorbing and removing water injected to the skin and foreign substances generated during the skin treatment in real time. 
     That is, an intake port  118  for sucking the water injected to the surface of the skin and the foreign substances generated during treatment is provided on the other side wall of the working (cooling) chamber  108  in the skin contact surface  106  of the handpiece  100 . Further, an intake pipe  120  connected to the intake port  118  is mounted on the other inner side of the grip body  102  of the handpiece  100 . 
     A water/foreign substance remover  122  for providing a vacuum suction force is connected to an outlet of the intake pipe  120 . 
     Next, an operation example of the skin cooling system having the above-described configuration in accordance with the present invention will be described. 
     When the skin contact surface  106  of the handpiece  100  held in an operator&#39;s hand is brought into contact with the skin for treatment, the therapeutic light energy radiated from the optical unit  104  is focused onto the surface of the skin for treatment through the window  110 . 
     As the time the therapeutic light energy is transmitted to the skin continues, heat is generated, which may cause damage to the skin. 
     At this time, the skin may be cooled by low-temperature cold air, low-temperature cooling water, or a mixture of cold air and water. 
     First, for the cooling process by the cold air, the first valve  214  is opened and, in this case, the opening and closing of the first valve  214  may be controlled by a controller (not shown) according to the operation of a switch (not shown). 
     Accordingly, the outside air, from which foreign substances are removed by the dust filter  202 , is compressed by the air compressor  204  and stored in the air tank  206  at a predetermined pressure. Then, the pressure of the air discharged from the air tank  206  is regulated by the regulator  208  connected to the outlet of the air tank  206 , and the pressure-regulated air is discharged to the water/oil remover  210 . Subsequently, the water and oil contained in the discharged air is removed by the water/oil remover  210 , and the resulting air is cooled to a predetermined temperature in the air cooler  212 . Next, the cold air passes through the first valve  214  and is then supplied to the spray nozzle  114  of the handpiece  100  through the first connecting line  218 . 
     At the same time, the cold air supplied to the spray nozzle  114  of the handpiece  100  flows toward the nozzle port  112  formed on one side wall of the working (cooling) chamber  108  through the connecting pipe  116  and is then injected to the surface of the skin during treatment through the nozzle port  112 . 
     The skin can be easily cooled by the cold air injected to the surface of the skin, and thus it is possible to significantly reduce skin damage and pain caused by the heat generated by the therapeutic light energy. 
     Meanwhile, to cool the skin using the cooling water, not the cold air, the operator closes the first valve  214  and opens the second valve  308 . Also, the opening and closing of the second valve  308  may be controlled by a controller (not shown) according to the operation of a switch (not shown). 
     Accordingly, water is supplied from the water tank  302  to the water cooler  306  by the operation of the pump  304 . The supplied water is cooled to a predetermined temperature in the water cooler  306 . Then, the cooling water passes through the second valve  308  connected to the outlet of the water cooler  306  and is then supplied to the spray nozzle  114  of the handpiece  100 . 
     At the same time, the cooling water supplied to the spray nozzle  114  of the handpiece  100  flows toward the nozzle port  112  formed on one side wall of the working (cooling) chamber  108  through the connecting pipe  116  and is then injected to the surface of the skin during treatment through the nozzle port  112 . 
     In the same manner as the cold air, the skin can be easily cooled by the cooling water injected to the surface of the skin, and thus it is possible to significantly reduce skin damage and pain caused by the heat generated by the therapeutic light energy. 
     Here, when a mixture of cold air and water is injected, it is possible to effectively perform the skin cooling process for a shorter time and extend the cooling retention time of the skin. 
     That is, when the first valve  214  and the second valve  308  are simultaneously opened, the cold air and water supplied in the manner described above are mixed in the spray nozzle  114  of the handpiece  100  and injected to the surface of the skin during treatment through the nozzle port  112 . 
     As such, since it is possible to effectively perform the skin cooling process for a shorter time and extend the cooling retention time of the skin by injecting a mixture of cold air and water to the surface of the skin, it is possible to more significantly reduce skin damage and pain caused by the heat generated by the therapeutic light energy. 
     Meanwhile, when the skin treatment is performed in a state where cold air, water, or a mixture of cold air and water is injected to the surface of the skin, the water injected to the surface of the skin and the foreign substances generated from the skin during the treatment are mixed and the mixture remains on the surface of the skin, which may disturb the skin treatment. 
     Thus, the water/foreign substance remover  122  is operated such that its vacuum suction force is transmitted to the intake port  118  provided on the other side wall of the working (cooling) chamber  108  in the skin contact surface  106  of the handpiece  100  through the intake pipe  120  mounted on the other inner side of the grip body  102  of the handpiece  100 . Then, the water injected to the surface of the skin and the foreign substances generated from the skin during the treatment are absorbed and removed by the water/foreign substance remover  122  through the intake port  118  and the intake pipe  120 . 
     As a result, the skin treatment can be effectively performed while cooling the skin and keeping the surface of the skin clean. 
     As described above, the present invention provides the following effects. 
     With the use of the handpiece, which is connected to the cold air supply means and the cold water supply means to inject cold air, water, or a mixture of cold air and water, it is possible to cool the skin during treatment for a short time and maintain the cooling effect during the treatment. 
     Thus, the skin cooling system of the present invention can easily cool the skin before or during treatment, and thus significantly reduce thermal damage and pain caused by the heat generated by the therapeutic light energy during treatment. 
     As above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, however, the present invention is not limited thereto, rather, it should be understood that various modifications and variations of the present invention can be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and the technical scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.