Patent ID: 7740600

Claim:
An apparatus which is adapted to inhibit pain signals generated by pain receptors in the skin during a skin related medical treatment from being transmitted to the brain by inducing a controlled compression of a skin region, comprising: a) an evacuation chamber comprising an essentially rigid interface element through which a medical treatment can be administered to a selected skin region, one or more walls which are placeable on, or in the vicinity of, said skin region, an interior defined by at least said one or more walls and by said interface element, and an opening at the bottom of said interior which is sealable by said skin region; b) means for generating a vacuum within said evacuation chamber interior, the level of the generated vacuum being suitable for drawing said skin region through said opening towards, and in a compressing relation against, said interface element, whereby to inhibit the transmission of a pain signal generated by pain receptors located within said skin region; and c) means for administering a skin related medical treatment, said administering means adapted to pass through said interface element and to be directed to said compressed and pain inhibiting skin region, wherein the evacuation chamber is configured as a slit defined by the one or more walls, the one or more walls being elongated, planar sidewalls, the interface element being a rigid upper surface extending between, and having a considerably shorter length than, said sidewalls, at least one wall being a second interface element through which the medical treatment can be administered to the selected skin region.