Patent Description:
A recent focus in the field of personal care devices, and in particular facial hair shaving devices, is the addition of functions to enable such a device to provide benefits or treatments to a user of the device in addition to the primary personal care function performed by the device, such as shaving, hair removal, skin massage, etc..

For example, an enhanced sensorial experience may be provided to the user of a personal care device via the use of an infra-red (IR) or Near IR (NIR) light module within the personal care device. The IR or Near IR light module may be powered to provide gentle warmth to the user and/or treat the skin of the user while the personal care device is in use performing the personal care function(s).

A further treatment that can be provided by a personal care device, particularly one that is used on the face, is the treatment of acne using light. Light therapy with blue and red light, which combines an antibacterial effect (due to optimum photoexcitation of Propionibacterium acnes bacteria) and an anti-inflammatory action (due to cytokine release from macrophages), is an effective means of treating acne vulgaris that has a mild to moderate severity, with no significant short-term adverse effects.

Acne lesions can be subdivided into different types of lesions; microcomedones, blackheads, whiteheads, papules, pustules, nodules, cysts, macules and scars. Inflammation is a reaction to infectious or sterile tissue damage and has the physiological purpose of restoring tissue. Inflammation plays a major role in containing and resolving infection or damage and may also occur under sterile conditions. Comedones are the biggest precursor to inflammatory acne lesions. Comedones do not always turn into inflammation or nodules. Comedone can transition to an inflammatory papule/pustule. This transition is usually called inflammation. The inflammation in acne varies throughout the acne lesion's lifecycle, from non-inflammatory microcomedones to closed and open comedones to inflammatory lesions (papules, pustules, nodules, and "cysts"), and eventually to post acne lesions (post-inflammatory erythema (PIE), post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), normal skin or scarring).

Clinical types of acne include (<NUM>) non-inflammatory comedonal acne (comedones only; no inflammatory lesions or cysts); (<NUM>) mild inflammatory acne (inflammatory papules and comedones); (<NUM>) moderate inflammatory acne (inflammatory papules, pustules and comedones in overall greater number than mild disease); and (<NUM>) severe inflammatory nodulocystic acne (inflammatory papules, comedones and cysts with residual scarring). Systems for treating acne are disclosed, inter alia, in <CIT>.

<FIG> illustrates the inflammation process and clinical appearance for acne lesions over the course of time. The onset stage can last a few hours and includes inflammatory cell infiltration and occurrence of inflammation effects, such as swelling (oedema), redness, heat and/or pain. The resolution stage can last for several days and includes inflammatory cell clearance and reduction of swelling (oedema), redness, heat and/or pain. The healing stage can last for several weeks, and redness in the skin can be perceived due to formation of granulation tissue and remodelling of the skin.

It has been found that in the case of acne lesions, the optimal light treatment (in terms of the wavelengths of light used, their relative intensities, etc.) depends on the stage at which the lesion is at. For example, red light should have a relatively higher intensity than blue light when the lesion is at a high inflammation stage, and vice versa in a low inflammation stage. However, a particular subject or user with acne will typically have acne lesions at a variety of different stages, and therefore there will not be a single configuration for the light treatment that is optimal for all of their acne lesions.

<CIT> discloses a personal care device comprising a shaving device component and a phototherapy device component. The use of red and blue light is described, and a combination of different wavelengths of light may be applied simultaneously to treat different skin conditions at the same time. A user is able to control the wavelengths emitted and the intensity levels just by selecting a particular skin condition, with the control system causing the device to provide appropriate colours and intensity for that skin condition.

While <CIT> enables a user to select a skin condition and the control system uses predetermined colours and intensity for that skin condition, it is typically difficult for a user of a personal care device to correctly ascertain a type of skin condition that is to be treated. Moreover, <CIT> does not recognise that it may be beneficial to tune the characteristics of the emitted light to a particular stage of an acne lesion, and does not describe that variations in the inflammation state can be used as a discriminator for characterising the phases in the lifecycle of a pimple/acne lesion, in particular the maturity phase of an acne lesion when the inflammation is at its peak and also how it changes in response to a light treatment.

Treatment of a skin region with acne lesions without knowledge of the maturity phase/stage of the lesions may lead to over- or under-treatment, resulting in undesirable side effects and poor treatment efficacy. Furthermore, a user may have different acne lesions at different maturity stages, which may mean that the optimum light characteristics may be different for different parts of the body/face.

Therefore it is an objective of this disclosure to provide an acne-treatment system comprising a processing unit and an acne-treatment apparatus that can be used with, or as part of, a personal care device (including shaving systems) to provide an improved treatment of acne lesions that provides appropriate red and blue light intensities based on the current physiological stage of the acne lesion, and thereby improve the treatment efficacy and reduce side effects.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an acne-treatment system comprising a processing unit and an acne-treatment apparatus having one or more light sources configured and arranged to generate first treatment light having wavelengths predominantly in a range from <NUM> to <NUM> and second treatment light having wavelengths predominantly in a range from <NUM> to <NUM> for application to an acne lesion on skin of a subject during use of the acne treatment system. The processing unit is configured to: receive one or more measurement signals provided by one or more sensors that are configured and arranged to measure one or more parameters indicative of a degree of inflammation and/or a severity phase of the acne lesion, said one or more measurement signals representing an indicated degree of inflammation and/or an indicated severity phase of the acne lesion; determine a light-intensity ratio of intensity of the first treatment light to intensity of the second treatment light to be applied to the acne lesion based on the indicated degree of inflammation and/or the indicated severity phase of the acne lesion represented by the one or more measurement signals; and control the one or more light sources of the acne-treatment apparatus to generate the first treatment light and the second treatment light according to the determined light-intensity ratio for application to the acne lesion.

In an embodiment of an acne-treatment system according to the first aspect, the acne-treatment apparatus comprises the processing unit of the acne-treatment system.

In an embodiment of an acne-treatment system according to the first aspect, the acne-treatment system comprises a control apparatus comprising the processing unit of the acne-treatment system and a first communication unit. The acne-treatment apparatus of the acne-treatment system has a second communication unit configured to communicate with the first communication unit. During use, a control signal generated by the processing unit to control the one or more light sources of the acne-treatment apparatus is communicated from the control apparatus to the acne-treatment apparatus via the first and second communication units.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an electric shaving apparatus comprising an acne-treatment system according to the first aspect or any embodiment thereof, and further comprising a main body and a shaving unit coupled to the main body. The one or more light sources of the acne-treatment apparatus are arranged in the shaving unit to apply the first treatment light and the second treatment light to the skin of the subject during operation of the shaving unit with the shaving unit in contact with the skin of the subject.

As noted above, it is an objective of this disclosure to provide an acne-treatment system comprising a processing unit and an acne-treatment apparatus to provide an improved treatment of acne lesions. The processing unit of the acne-treatment system provides the improvements by automatically determining a ratio of light intensities that is appropriate for the current physiological stage of the acne lesion, and thereby improve the treatment efficacy and reduce side effects provided by the light treatment. In some implementations, the acne-treatment system may be used with, or as part of, a personal care device (including shaving systems).

<FIG> is a simplified illustration of an electric shaving apparatus <NUM>. The illustrated electric shaving apparatus <NUM> is also an acne-treatment apparatus as it comprises one or more light sources for performing a treatment operation on acne lesions, the processing unit according to the techniques described herein that controls the light source(s) can be part of the electric shaving apparatus <NUM>, or separate from the electric shaving apparatus <NUM>.

In the shown example, the electric shaving apparatus <NUM> is of the rotary type and comprises a main body <NUM> that is intended to be held by a user of the electric shaving apparatus <NUM>, and a functional unit <NUM> that is intended to contact a portion of skin to perform a personal care function. In this example the functional unit <NUM> is a shaving unit, and the personal care operation is shaving/hair cutting/hair trimming. The main body <NUM> of the electric shaving apparatus <NUM> is also commonly referred to as handle, and the shaving unit <NUM> of the electric shaving apparatus <NUM> is also commonly referred to as a shaving head.

The shaving unit <NUM> includes a number of hair-cutting units <NUM>, the number being three in the shown example. When the electric shaving apparatus <NUM> is applied to skin to perform a shaving action, the actual process of cutting off hairs protruding from the portion of skin takes place at the position of the hair-cutting units <NUM>. For the purpose of supporting the hair-cutting units <NUM>, the shaving unit <NUM> comprises a base member <NUM>.

Each of the hair-cutting units <NUM> comprises a combination of an external cutting member <NUM> that is of a generally cup-shaped design and an internal cutting member (not shown) that is equipped with at least one hair-cutting element and that is at least partially accommodated in the interior of the external cutting member <NUM>. The external cutting member <NUM> has hair-entry openings <NUM> in an annular cutting track surface <NUM>. During a shaving action, hairs extending through the hair-entry openings <NUM> and protruding to the interior of the external cutting member <NUM> are cut off as soon as they are encountered by a hair-cutting element of the internal cutting member. A shaving action is performed when the internal cutting member is activated to rotate and a portion of skin is actually contacted by the external cutting member <NUM> at the position of the cutting track surface <NUM>. Activation of the internal cutting member may take place in a known manner by means of a drive mechanism of the electric shaving apparatus <NUM>. This drive mechanism (e.g. a motor), is typically located in the main body <NUM>, and the rotational movement of the motor is transferred to the internal cutting members of the hair-cutting units <NUM> in the shaving unit <NUM>. When the combination of the external cutting member <NUM> and the internal cutting member is moved over the portion of skin while the internal cutting member is driven to rotate, it is achieved that hairs protruding from the portion of skin are caught in the hair-entry openings <NUM> of the external cutting member <NUM> and are cut off in that position.

In the electric shaving apparatus <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the shaving unit <NUM> comprises a light unit <NUM> that is configured to emit light on to the skin to provide a treatment effect on acne lesions. The light unit <NUM> can comprise a skin-contacting member <NUM> having a skin-contacting surface <NUM> that is arranged adjacent to the hair-cutting units <NUM> to contact the skin during a shaving action. Further, the light unit <NUM> comprises a plurality of light sources <NUM>, which will hereinafter be simply referred to as light sources <NUM> for the sake of clarity, and which may be LEDs or laser diodes, for example. Each light source may be configured to emit light at specific wavelengths, or may be controllable to emit light at varying wavelengths. For example one or more light sources can be provided that emit light that is predominately red (e.g. with wavelengths predominately in the range from <NUM> to <NUM>), and one or more other light sources can be provided that emit light that is predominately blue/violet (e.g. with wavelengths predominately in the range from <NUM> to <NUM>). Alternatively, each light source can be controllable to alternately emit light that is predominately red and light that is predominately blue/violet. The light sources <NUM> may be integrated in the skin-contacting member <NUM>. The skin-contacting member <NUM> may comprise material that is transparent to the wavelengths of light emitted by the light source(s) <NUM>, and the light sources <NUM> may be embedded in the material. When the light unit <NUM> is activated during a shaving action, it is achieved that the skin is subjected to more actions besides the shaving action, in particular actions in which acne lesions are treated, which may lead to improvement of the condition/appearance of the acne lesions.

In the shown example, the skin-contacting member <NUM> is provided in the form of a bracket that is arranged to extend between and partially support the three hair-cutting units <NUM>. According to an advantageous option, the skin-contacting member <NUM> including the light sources <NUM> is removably or hingably arranged in the shaving unit <NUM>. In order to have a practical distribution of the emitted light, the light sources <NUM> can be arranged to emit the light via a central section of the skin-contacting surface <NUM> arranged between the hair-cutting units <NUM> and via peripheral sections 35a, 35b, 35c of the skin-contacting surface <NUM> arranged between each of the three different pairs of adjacent hair-cutting units <NUM> in the equilateral triangular configuration.

The shaving unit <NUM> shown in <FIG> also comprises one or more sensors <NUM> that are for measuring one or more parameters of acne lesions on the skin. The one or more sensors <NUM> output respective measurement signals that are representative of the measured parameter(s). The one or more parameters are indicative of the degree of inflammation and/or severity phase of an acne lesion on the skin. In alternative implementations, the one or more sensors <NUM> can be provided separately from the electric shaving apparatus <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a processing unit <NUM> according to the techniques described herein along with one or more sensors <NUM> and one or more light sources <NUM>. The one or more light sources <NUM> are part of an acne-treatment apparatus.

The processing unit <NUM> performs the techniques described herein of determining a ratio of light intensities that is appropriate for the current physiological stage of an acne lesion and controlling the operation of the one or more light sources <NUM> to generate the appropriate treatment light. The processing unit <NUM> determines the ratio based on one or more measurement signals received from the one or more sensors <NUM>.

The processing unit <NUM> can be implemented in numerous ways, with software and/or hardware, to perform the various functions described herein. The processing unit <NUM> may comprise one or more microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs) that may be programmed using software or computer program code to perform the required functions and/or to control components of the processing unit <NUM> to effect the required functions. The processing unit <NUM> may be implemented as a combination of dedicated hardware to perform some functions (e.g. amplifiers, pre-amplifiers, analog-to-digital convertors (ADCs) and/or digital-to-analog convertors (DACs)) and a processor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessors, controllers, DSPs and associated circuitry) to perform other functions. Examples of components that may be employed in various embodiments of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, conventional microprocessors, DSPs, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), hardware for implementing a neural network and/or so-called artificial intelligence (AI) hardware accelerators (i.e. a processor(s) or other hardware specifically designed for AI applications that can be used alongside a main processor).

Although not shown in <FIG>, the processing unit <NUM> can be connected to a memory unit that can store data, information and/or signals for use by the processing unit <NUM> in executing or performing the techniques described herein. In some implementations the memory unit stores computer-readable code that can be executed by the processing unit <NUM> so that the processing unit <NUM> performs one or more functions, including the techniques described herein. The memory unit can comprise any type of non-transitory machine-readable medium, such as cache or system memory including volatile and nonvolatile computer memory such as random access memory (RAM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM) and electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), and the memory unit can be implemented in the form of a memory chip, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD) or a Blu-Ray disc), a hard disk, a tape storage solution, or a solid state device, including a memory stick, a solid state drive (SSD), a memory card, etc..

The one or more sensors <NUM> are for measuring one or more parameters of acne lesions on the skin of a subject. In particular, the one or more parameters are indicative of the degree of inflammation and/or severity phase of an acne lesion on the skin. The sensor(s) <NUM> output respective measurement signals that are representative or indicative of the measured parameter(s). The one or more parameters indicative of the degree of inflammation of the acne lesion can be any of: the redness of the acne lesion, the blood oxygenation in the acne lesion, the haemoglobin and/or oxyhaemoglobin level in the acne lesion, the temperature of the acne lesion, and the blood perfusion in the acne lesion. The one or more sensors <NUM> can include any one or more of an imaging sensor (e.g. a digital camera), a laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA) imaging sensor, a laser Doppler perfusion monitor, a photoplethysmogram (PPG) imaging sensor, a PPG sensor, a multispectral/hyperspectral imaging sensor, a skin reflectance sensor and a temperature sensor. A digital hyperspectral imaging sensor can image underlying tissue and/or blood vessels, for example tissue oxygen saturation (known as StO2). A LASCA imaging sensor or a laser Doppler perfusion monitor can be used to measure blood perfusion. A PPG sensor can be used to measure oxygenation of the blood. A temperature sensor can measure the temperature of the skin, which is related to the local inflammation level of the skin.

Depending on the type of sensor <NUM>, the measurement signal output by the sensor <NUM> may relate to a particular part of the skin of the subject, and thus one particular acne lesion, or the measurement signal may represent or be indicative of multiple measurements of the parameter at different locations on the skin. For example an image of the skin may include information on multiple acne lesions. In the former case (i.e. where the measurement signal relates to one, or just a few acne lesions), multiple sensors <NUM> (of the same type) may be provided in order to obtain measurements of parameters relating to different parts of the skin. In some embodiments, to improve the evaluation of the inflammation stage and/or severity of the acne lesions, multiple types of sensors <NUM> can be provided that measure respective parameters.

The one or more light sources <NUM> may be LEDs or diode lasers, for example. Each light source <NUM> may be configured to emit light at specific wavelengths, or may be controllable to emit light at varying wavelengths. For example one or more light sources <NUM> can be provided that generate and emit light that is predominately red (e.g. with wavelengths predominately in the range from <NUM> to <NUM>), and one or more other light sources <NUM> can be provided that generate and emit light that is predominately blue/violet (e.g. with wavelengths predominately in the range from <NUM> to <NUM>). Alternatively, each light source <NUM> can be controllable to alternately generate and emit light that is predominately red and light that is predominately blue/violet. Further to the above, and in connection with each wavelength range as described herein with reference to the invention and the embodiments thereof, the term "predominantly" implies that at least <NUM>%, preferably at least <NUM>%, and more preferably at least <NUM>% of the optical power of each of the first treatment light and the second treatment light is provided by wavelength components within the respectively defined wavelength range. In the case of an LED light source, for example, the LED may have a bandwidth of <NUM>-<NUM>, and with a suitable peak wavelength in one of the ranges specified above, all of the emitted light will be within the wavelength ranges.

As noted above, the light source(s) <NUM> are part of an acne-treatment apparatus. The processing unit <NUM> may be part of the acne-treatment apparatus, or part of a separate control apparatus of an acne-treatment system that comprises the acne-treatment apparatus. Likewise, the sensor(s) <NUM> may be part of the acne-treatment apparatus, or part of a separate apparatus of an acne-treatment system (including part of a separate apparatus to the control apparatus in which the processing unit is implemented). In some embodiments, the acne-treatment apparatus is part of, or integrated with, a personal care device, such as an electric shaving apparatus. In this way the personal care device is able to provide the acne treatment operation in addition to the usual personal care functions of the personal care device.

<FIG> and <FIG> are block diagrams illustrating two exemplary implementations of processing unit <NUM> and an acne-treatment apparatus. In particular, <FIG> shows the processing unit <NUM> as part of an acne-treatment apparatus <NUM>. The acne-treatment apparatus <NUM> comprises the light source(s) <NUM>. The acne-treatment apparatus <NUM> can be a dedicated acne-treatment apparatus, i.e. acne treatment is the primary or sole function of the apparatus <NUM>, or the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM> can be part of a personal care device that provides another personal care operation in addition to acne treatment. Such a personal care operation can be shaving or hair cutting/trimming. The sensor(s) <NUM> can be part of the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM>, or in a separate unit or apparatus. In the latter case, the processing unit <NUM> can be configured to receive measurement signal(s) from the sensor(s) <NUM>, for example via one or more communication units (not shown in <FIG>).

<FIG> shows the processing unit <NUM> as part of an acne-treatment system <NUM>. The acne-treatment system <NUM> comprises an acne-treatment apparatus <NUM> that comprises the light source(s) <NUM>, and a control apparatus <NUM> that comprises the processing unit <NUM>. The control apparatus <NUM> comprises a first communication unit <NUM> and the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM> comprises a second communication unit <NUM>. The communication units <NUM>, <NUM> enable the communication of data or signals between the control apparatus <NUM> and the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM>. For example, the communication units <NUM>, <NUM> can enable the communication of a control signal from the processing unit <NUM> to the light source(s) <NUM> so that the processing unit <NUM> can control the operation of the light source(s) <NUM>. The acne-treatment apparatus <NUM> can be a dedicated acne-treatment apparatus, i.e. acne treatment is the primary or sole function of the apparatus <NUM>, or the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM> or acne-treatment system <NUM> can be part of a personal care device or personal care system that provides another personal care operation in addition to acne treatment. Such a personal care operation can be shaving or hair cutting/trimming. The sensor(s) <NUM> can be part of the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM>, part of the control apparatus <NUM>, or part of a separate unit or apparatus in the acne-treatment system <NUM>. Where the sensor(s) <NUM> are separate from the control apparatus <NUM>, the first communication unit <NUM> can enable the processing unit <NUM> to receive the measurement signal(s) from the sensor(s) <NUM>.

The control apparatus <NUM> can be any type of electronic device or computing device. For example, the control apparatus <NUM> can be, or be part of, a smartphone, a tablet, a smart watch, a smart mirror, a laptop, a computer or a server, for example a server in a data centre (also referred to as being 'in the cloud').

As noted, the first communication unit <NUM> and the second communication unit <NUM> enable a data connection and/or data exchange between the control apparatus <NUM> and the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM>, and optionally also the sensor(s) <NUM>, depending on the implementation. The connection may be direct or indirect (e.g. via the Internet), and thus the communication units <NUM>, <NUM> can enable a connection between the control apparatus <NUM> and the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM> via a network (such as the Internet), or directly between the control apparatus <NUM> and the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM>, via any desirable wired or wireless communication protocol. For example, the communication units <NUM>, <NUM> can operate using WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or any cellular communication protocol. In the case of a wireless connection, the communication units <NUM>, <NUM> (and thus control apparatus <NUM> and acne-treatment apparatus <NUM>) may include one or more suitable antennas for transmitting/receiving over a transmission medium (e.g. the air). Alternatively, in the case of a wireless connection, the communication units <NUM>, <NUM> may include means (e.g. a connector or plug) to enable the communication units <NUM>, <NUM> to be connected to one or more suitable antennas external to the control apparatus <NUM> and acne-treatment apparatus <NUM> for transmitting/receiving over a transmission medium (e.g. the air). The first communication unit <NUM> is connected to the processing unit <NUM> to enable information or data received by the first communication unit <NUM> to be provided to the processing unit <NUM>, and/or information or data from the processing unit <NUM> to be transmitted by the first communication unit <NUM>.

Although not shown in <FIG> or <FIG>, a user interface may be provided that includes one or more components that enables a user of acne-treatment apparatus <NUM>, <NUM> and/or control apparatus <NUM> (e.g. the subject) to input information, data and/or commands into the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM>, <NUM> and/or control apparatus <NUM>, and/or enables the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM>, <NUM> and/or control apparatus <NUM> to output information or data to the user. For example the user interface can include a display screen for displaying one or more images of the subject, and/or the results of an analysis of one or more acne lesions on the skin of the subject. The user interface can comprise any suitable input component(s), including but not limited to a keyboard, keypad, one or more buttons, switches or dials, a mouse, a track pad, a touchscreen, a stylus, a camera, a microphone, etc., and/or the user interface can comprise any suitable output component(s), including but not limited to a display screen, one or more lights or light elements, one or more loudspeakers, a vibrating element, etc..

It will be appreciated that a practical implementation of the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM> and/or acne-treatment system <NUM> may include additional components to those shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. For example, the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM> and/or acne-treatment system <NUM> may also include a power supply, such as a battery, or components for enabling the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM> and/or acne-treatment system <NUM> to be connected to a mains power supply.

As described above, it is an objective of this disclosure to determine the inflammation phase and/or severity of an acne lesion (pimple) so that the treatment light applied to the acne lesion is adapted to the inflammation phase and/or severity to enable a more effective light treatment.

In particular it has been found that the variations in the redness (erythema), perfusion and oxygenation of blood perfusion can be used as a good discriminator to characterise the phases in the lifecycle of an acne lesion, and in particular the maturity phase of an acne lesion when the inflammation is at its peak. The blood perfusion, blood oxygenation, oxyhaemoglobin (HbO2) and haemoglobin (Hb) and the redness of the acne lesion are low in the early phase, increase in the mature phase of an acne lesion and decrease in the later phase. Therefore, one or more sensors <NUM> that detect parameters relating to the inflammation and/or maturity/severity phase of the acne lesions are used. For example, blood perfusion can be measured using a laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA) device/imaging sensor, a laser Doppler monitor, a PPG sensor or an imaging PPG sensor. As another example, the HbO2 and/or Hb component can be measured using multispectral illumination and a multispectral imaging sensor. In another example, redness can be measured using a RBX-red filter from the VISIA skin analysis system. In a further example, the temperature of the acne lesion can be measured using a temperature sensor. Any combination of these or similar sensors can be used to measure parameters relating to the inflammation and/or severity of an acne lesion.

Thus, according to the techniques described herein, a light treatment is applied to an acne lesion, with the light treatment comprising applying first treatment light that is generally red light and second treatment light that is generally blue/violet light. The predominately/generally red light has wavelengths predominately in the range from <NUM> to <NUM>, and the generally/predominately blue/violet light has wavelengths predominately in the range from <NUM> to <NUM>. The ratio of the intensity of the red light to the intensity of the blue/violet light (referred to as the "light-intensity ratio") is adjusted or set based on the degree of inflammation and/or severity phase of the acne lesion determined from the measurement signal(s).

In some embodiments, based on the parameter measurements, a particular acne lesion can be classified into either (i) a relatively low degree of inflammation/relatively high severity, or (ii) a relatively high degree of inflammation/relatively low severity. If the acne lesion is determined to have a relatively low degree of inflammation/relatively high severity, then the light-intensity ratio can be in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, and if the acne lesion is determined to have a relatively high degree of inflammation/relatively low severity, then the light-intensity ratio can be above <NUM>. The specific value of the light-intensity ratio that is used in case a relatively low degree of inflammation/relatively high severity is detected can be predefined, i.e. a predefined value in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>. Alternatively the specific value of the light-intensity ratio that is used can be dependent on the degree of inflammation/degree of severity. The same applies to when there is a relatively high.

In more detail, the one or more sensors <NUM> can be used to measure one or more parameters of the skin of the subject. The parameter(s) are indicative of a degree of inflammation and/or a severity phase of an acne lesion on the skin, and can be any of the redness of the acne lesion, blood oxygenation in the acne lesion, haemoglobin and/or oxyhaemoglobin level in the acne lesion, and blood perfusion in the acne lesion. The sensor(s) <NUM> generate respective measurement signals representing the measured degree of inflammation and/or measured severity phase of the acne lesion.

The processing unit <NUM> receives the one or more measurement signals and determines the light-intensity ratio of intensity of the first treatment light to intensity of the second treatment light to be applied to the acne lesion. The ratio is determined based on the degree of inflammation and/or the severity phase of the acne lesion represented by the one or more measurement signals. The intensity of the treatment light can also be understood as an irradiance level or dose level.

Then, the processing unit <NUM> controls the one or more light sources <NUM> of the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM>, <NUM> to generate the first treatment light and the second treatment light according to the determined light-intensity ratio for application to the acne lesion. Thus, the processing unit <NUM> can output a suitable control signal to the light source(s) <NUM> so that the light source(s) <NUM> generate the required treatment light.

In some embodiments, the processing unit <NUM> determines the light-intensity ratio by processing the measurement signals to determine the light-intensity ratio of the intensity of the first treatment light to the intensity of the second treatment light that is be applied to the acne lesion. The processing unit <NUM> determines the light-intensity ratio based on the indicated degree of inflammation and/or the indicated severity phase of the acne lesion represented by the one or more measurement signals. In some embodiments, the processing unit can determine the light-intensity ratio by comparing the determined degree of inflammation and/or the determined severity phase to one or more thresholds, or by using a look-up table that relates values of the determined degree of inflammation and/or the determined severity phase to specific values of the light-intensity ratio. For example, if the degree of inflammation is above a threshold, a first value for the light-intensity ratio can be used, and if the degree of inflammation is below the threshold, a second value for the light-intensity ratio can be used. Likewise for the severity phase.

In an alternative approach, the processing unit <NUM> determines the light-intensity ratio directly from the one or more measurement signals. For example the processing unit <NUM> can determine the light-intensity ratio by comparing the one or more measurement signals to one or more thresholds, or by using a look-up table that relates values of the one or more measurement signals or characteristics of the one or more measurement signals to specific values of the light-intensity ratio.

In some embodiments, the processing unit <NUM> is configured to determine the light-intensity ratio such that the light-intensity ratio increases (or is high) when the indicated degree of inflammation increases (or is high) or the indicated severity of the acne lesion decreases (or is low). Likewise, the processing unit <NUM> is configured to determine the light-intensity ratio such that the light-intensity ratio decreases (or is lower) when the indicated degree of inflammation decreases (or is low) or the indicated severity increases (or is high).

In particular embodiments, the processing unit <NUM> is configured to determine the light-intensity ratio such that the light-intensity ratio is in the range of <NUM>-<NUM> if the indicated degree of inflammation is in a first range of relatively low indicated inflammation values or the indicated severity is in a first range of relatively high indicated severity values, and to determine a light-intensity ratio above <NUM> if the indicated degree of inflammation is in a second range of relatively high indicated inflammation values or the indicated severity is in a second range of relatively low indicated severity values.

In some embodiments, the processing unit <NUM> controls the one or more light sources <NUM> to generate the first treatment light and the second treatment light simultaneously. That is, both the first treatment light and the second treatment light are generated and applied to the acne lesion at the same time. The intensity with which each of the first treatment light and the second treatment light is emitted is according to the determined light-intensity ratio.

For safety reasons (e.g. to avoid the skin from being overheated), the processing unit <NUM> can control the light source(s) <NUM> such that the total intensity or total amount of light applied to the acne lesion or skin by the light source(s) <NUM> is below a threshold value. That is, the processing unit <NUM> can not only determine a suitable light-intensity ratio to treat the acne lesion, but determine this ratio such that the total intensity of the first and second treatment lights emitted to achieve this ratio is below the threshold value.

Alternatively, rather than emit the first treatment light and the second treatment light simultaneously, the first treatment light and the second treatment light can be applied alternately. This can be useful where there is a limit to the amount of light that can be safely applied to the skin in a given time period, as it enables each of the first treatment light and second treatment light to be delivered with a higher respective intensity and improve the physiological effect of the treatment light. Thus, in alternative embodiments, the processing unit <NUM> controls the one or more light sources <NUM> to alternately generate the first treatment light and the second treatment light such that the intensities of the first treatment light and the second treatment light generated over a time period satisfy the determined ratio. Thus in these embodiments the first treatment light and the second treatment light can be alternately pulsed to treat the acne lesion. Each of the first treatment light and the second treatment light can be pulsed on and off, for example with a frequency of the order of <NUM> - <NUM>, although those skilled in the art will appreciate that higher or lower frequencies can be used. This pulsing/alternate operation can be considered as a duty cycle. Within the duty cycle it may be that either the first treatment light or the second treatment light is being emitted, or it may be that there is also a 'no light' part of the duty cycle in addition to the first treatment light and second treatment light parts where no light is emitted by the light source(s) <NUM>. The 'on' times for the first treatment light and the second treatment light within the duty cycle may be the same duration, or they may be different.

In embodiments where the first treatment light and second treatment light are emitted according to a duty cycle, the light-intensity ratio is dependent on the treatment light duty cycle, i.e. the proportion of time that the first treatment light is emitted to the time that the second treatment light is emitted, and the intensity with which the first treatment light and the second treatment light is emitted in their respective parts of the duty cycle. Thus, in some embodiments, the light-intensity ratio determined by the processing unit <NUM> can be achieved by adjusting the duty cycle. For example, to increase the light-intensity ratio, the duty cycle can be adjusted so that the first treatment light is emitted for more of the duty cycle than previously, and/or the second treatment light is emitted for less of the duty cycle than previously. In addition or alternatively, the duty cycle can be adjusted so that the first treatment light is emitted at a higher intensity than previously, and/or the second treatment light is emitted at a lower intensity than previously.

The improvements obtained using the above techniques on high inflammation acne lesions and non- or low-inflammation acne lesions is illustrated in <FIG> shows a ratio of improvements of inflammatory to low- or non-inflammatory acne lesions as a function of the light-intensity ratio of red to violet (indicated by the squares in <FIG>) based on five clinical studies and compared with a study performed with blue light (indicated by the circles). The ratio of percentage of improvements in inflamed to non-inflamed acne lesions is calculated by dividing the percentage of improvements obtained in inflamed lesions by the percentage of improvements obtained in non-inflamed acne lesions. It is observed in <FIG> that the mean improvements in high inflammation acne lesions is higher when the ratio of red light to violet light is between <NUM> and <NUM>, whereas in low- or non-inflammation acne lesions the ratio of red light to violet light is between <NUM> and <NUM>. It is observed that a combined red and blue light treatment with an intensity ratio of <NUM> is better than using blue light alone for a low or non-inflammatory acne lesion.

In some embodiments, further measurements of the parameter(s) for a previously-treated acne lesion can be obtained by the sensor(s) <NUM> (for example several minutes or several hours after the treatment), and the further measurements analysed to monitor the effectiveness of the light treatment. In particular a comparison of the further measurements to the initial measurements (that were used to determine the light-intensity ratio used for the initial treatment) can indicate whether the inflammation or severity level of the acne lesion has decreased.

In some embodiments, particularly (but not exclusively) where the processing unit <NUM> is separate from the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM>, the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM> can be implemented in the form of a textile or other flexible material, in which the light source(s) <NUM> are embedded or otherwise integrated. Such a textile or flexible material can be placed on the face or other relevant body part, and the light source(s) <NUM> activated to emit the required treatment light to treat acne lesions on the skin. Preferably the textile or other flexible material comprises several light sources <NUM> dispersed over the textile/material so that each light source <NUM> can be used to treat respective parts of the skin (and thus respective acne lesions). In this case, the measurements from the sensor(s) <NUM> can be used to determine the inflammation stage and/or severity of different acne lesions on the skin, and this information used to control the light sources <NUM> adjacent to different parts of the skin according to the localised inflammation/severity.

In other embodiments, the acne-treatment apparatus <NUM> can be implemented in the form of a pen or other small handheld device that comprises the light source(s) <NUM> behind a treatment window through which treatment light from the light source(s) <NUM> is emitted on to the skin of the subject. Such a device can be placed on or adjacent to a particular acne lesion on the skin, a measurement of the acne lesion obtained using the sensor(s) <NUM>, and the light source(s) <NUM> controlled accordingly to emit the required treatment light to treat the acne lesion. The device can then be moved to another location with another acne lesion and the process repeated.

Therefore there is provided an acne-treatment system comprising a processing unit and an acne-treatment apparatus that can be used with, or as part of, a personal care device (including shaving systems) to provide an improved treatment of acne lesions. The processing unit controls light source(s) of the acne-treatment apparatus to provide appropriate red and blue light intensities based on the current physiological stage of the acne lesion, and thereby improve the treatment efficacy and reduce side effects.

Claim 1:
An acne-treatment system comprising a processing unit (<NUM>) and an acne-treatment apparatus (<NUM>; <NUM>) having one or more light sources (<NUM>) configured and arranged to generate first treatment light having wavelengths predominantly in a range from <NUM> to <NUM> and second treatment light having wavelengths predominantly in a range from <NUM> to <NUM> for application to an acne lesion on skin of a subject during use of the acne treatment system, the processing unit (<NUM>) being configured to:
- receive one or more measurement signals provided by one or more sensors (<NUM>) that are configured and arranged to measure one or more parameters indicative of a degree of inflammation and/or a severity phase of the acne lesion, said one or more measurement signals representing an indicated degree of inflammation and/or an indicated severity phase of the acne lesion;
- determine a light-intensity ratio of intensity of the first treatment light to intensity of the second treatment light to be applied to the acne lesion based on the indicated degree of inflammation and/or the indicated severity phase of the acne lesion represented by the one or more measurement signals; and
- control the one or more light sources (<NUM>) of the acne-treatment apparatus (<NUM>; <NUM>) to generate the first treatment light and the second treatment light according to the determined light-intensity ratio for application to the acne lesion.