Patent ID: 7981111

Claim:
Apparatus for treatment of a dermatological condition on a region of human skin by causing a thermal injury to the skin, comprising: an energy source, a surface of the apparatus configured for contact with the region of skin and capable of being rapidly heated and cooled, an ohmic heating element within the apparatus and thermally coupled to the surface, a heat removal element within the apparatus and thermally coupled to the surface, and electronic control circuitry for generating a thermal pulse in the ohmic heating element to cause rapid heating of the surface sufficient to cause thermal injury to the skin and thereafter to permit rapid cooling of the surface, the thermal pulse having a rate of heating, maximum temperature, and rate of cooling configured to confine the thermal injury primarily to the skin, wherein the energy source is coupled to the ohmic heating element for a selected period of time, and wherein the heat removal element includes a thermal insulating portion and a heat absorbing portion, wherein the thermal insulating portion is configured to have a thermal transfer rate so that it operates as a thermal insulator during at least a portion of the selected period of time, and as a thermal conductor following the selected period of time.