Patent ID: 8821941

Claim:
A method of localizing thermal damage to a hair follicle, comprising: applying a composition to a skin surface, wherein said composition comprises a plurality of unassembled plasmonic nanoparticles, wherein the unassembled plasmonic nanoparticles comprise a conductive metal portion, wherein the conductive metal portion comprises at least one of gold or silver, wherein the unassembled plasmonic nanoparticles have a size in a range of 10 nm to 300 nm, wherein the unassembled plasmonic nanoparticles comprise a coating that coats the conductive metal portion, wherein said coating facilitates selective removal from the skin surface; wherein the coating comprises at least one of silica or polyethylene glycol (PEG), wherein the unassembled plasmonic nanoparticles have a concentration of 10 9 to 10 23 particles per ml of the composition, wherein said concentration is sufficient to, after exposure to irradiation, induce thermal damage in the hair follicle; distributing the composition from the skin surface to the hair follicle to target the hair follicle; selectively removing the composition from the skin surface, while leaving the composition localized within the hair follicle; and irradiating the composition with an infrared light source thereby inducing a plurality of surface plasmons in said unassembled plasmonic nanoparticles, wherein the induction of the surface plasmons generates thermal damage to the hair follicle for at least one of hair removal or hair growth reduction.