Patent ID: 8121704

Claim:
An apparatus for treating tissue located beneath a skin surface with high frequency energy, the apparatus comprising: a handpiece; a treatment tip configured to be removably coupled with the handpiece, the treatment tip including an electrode configured to deliver the high frequency energy to a region of the tissue, a channel for circulating heat transfer fluid proximate to the electrode, and an inlet passage to the channel; a first conduit inside the handpiece, the first conduit including a tubular sidewall and a lumen inside the tubular sidewall, the lumen configured to be coupled with the inlet passage for transferring the heat transfer fluid from the handpiece to the inlet passage of the treatment tip; and a septum covering the inlet passage, the septum configured to be pierced by the first conduit to define a first opening for coupling the first conduit with the inlet passage when the treatment tip is coupled to the handpiece and to substantially seal the first opening when the treatment tip is removed from the handpiece to decouple the first conduit from the inlet passage.