Patent ID: 8676338

Claim:
A system for non-invasive, transdermal removal of heat from subcutaneous lipid-rich cells of a subject, comprising: a treatment unit in thermal communication with a fluid chamber, the fluid chamber being configured to house and provide a coolant; a radiofrequency (RF) energy generating unit for generating RF current; a treatment device in fluid communication with the treatment unit and in electrical communication with the RF energy generating unit; and a controller in communication with the treatment unit, the RF energy generating unit and the treatment device, wherein the controller has instructions for causing the treatment device to: couple RF energy to the subject selectively to heat connective tissue in a target region beneath an epidermis of the subject to a maximum temperature less than a collagen denaturation temperature; and reduce a temperature of the target region beneath the epidermis of the subject selectively to reduce the temperature of subcutaneous lipid-rich cells in the target region such that the subcutaneous lipid-rich cells are substantially affected while non-lipid rich cells in the epidermis and subcutaneous lipid-rich cells adjacent to the connective tissue are not substantially affected.