Vector tightening

1 . A method for generating directional skin tightening, comprising:

initiating a directional skin tightening generation process;

providing at least one alignment indication according to at least one desired vector of skin tightening, for alignment of an energy-emitting transducer on a surface of a skin;

aligning said at least one energy-emitting transducer on said surface of a skin according to said at least one alignment indication, wherein said at least one energy-emitting transducer comprises at least one ultrasound transducer;

applying energy by said at least one aligned energy-emitting transducer at two or more locations on a skin surface along said at least one desired vector of skin tightening, wherein said applied energy is used to generate directional skin tightening by forming spaced-apart thermal damage lesions in deep tissue layers of the skin arranged according to the alignment of said at least one energy-emitting transducer and along said at least one desired vector of skin tightening, wherein said directional skin tightening is generated without cutting said skin tissue following said initiating.

2 . A method according to claim 1 , comprising

determining said at least one desired vector of skin tightening based on position and/or orientation of at least one skin tension line or at least one wrinkle on said skin surface.

3 . A method according to claim 2 , wherein said at least one desired vector of skin tightening is oriented at an angle between 45° degrees and 135° degrees relative to said at least one skin tension line or said at least one wrinkle in said skin surface.

4 . A method according to claim 3 , wherein said at least one skin tension line comprise at least one of, Langer's lines, Cox's lines, Kraissel's lines, Rubin's lines, Straith's lines, Bulacio's lines, and relaxed skin tension lines (RSTL).

5 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein a minimal distance between two adjacent spaced-apart thermal damage lesions formed along the desired vector, is in a range of 0.1 mm to 20 mm.

6 . A method according to claim 1 , comprising controlling a depth of said applying according to depth and/or position of nerve tissue along the at least one desired skin tightening vector.

7 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein said aligning comprises aligning said at least one energy-emitting transducer on said skin surface on said at least one desired skin tightening vector using said at least one alignment indication, and wherein said method comprises repeating said applying in at least two locations on said skin surface positioned along said at least one desired skin tightening vector.

8 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein said applying comprises moving a skin contacting surface of an ultrasound applicator comprising said at least one energy-emitting transducer between said two locations on said skin surface.

9 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein said spaced-apart thermal damage lesions are axially arranged along said at least one desired skin tightening vector.

10 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein said applying said energy comprises heating at least one tissue volume in said deep tissue layers of the skin to a temperature in a range of 50° C. to 80° C., to form at least one thermal damage lesion of said spaced-apart thermal damage lesions.

11 . A method according to claim 10 , wherein said at least one tissue volume comprises collagen fibers, wherein said applying comprises applying said energy with parameter values sufficient to generate a partial denaturation of said collagen fibers in said at least one tissue volume.

12 . A method according to claim 11 , wherein said applying comprises applying said energy using at least one energy-emitting transducer having a long axis and a short axis, and wherein said applied energy generates contraction of collagen within said at least one tissue volume along the long axis of the at least one energy-emitting transducer.

13 . A method according to claim 11 , wherein said applying comprises applying unfocused ultrasound energy or radiofrequency (RF) to said deep tissue layers.

14 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein said formed spaced-apart thermal damage lesions generate directional skin tightening that at least partly mimics a desired esthetic effect of a facelift or an effect of a mini-facelift in said subject.

15 . A method according to claim 1 , comprising:

cooling a surface of the skin during said applying to maintain a temperature of said skin surface between 5-40 degrees Celsius.

16 . A method for generating directional skin tightening, comprising:

initiating a directional skin tightening generation process;

aligning at least one energy-emitting transducer of an ultrasound applicator on a surface of a skin according to at least one desired vector of skin tightening, wherein said at least one energy-emitting transducer comprises at least one ultrasound transducer;

applying energy by said at least one aligned energy-emitting transducer at two or more locations on a skin surface along said at least one desired vector of skin tightening, wherein said applied energy is used to generate directional skin tightening by forming spaced-apart thermal damage lesions in deep tissue layers of the skin arranged according to the alignment of said at least one energy-emitting transducer and along said at least one desired vector of skin tightening, wherein said directional skin tightening is generated without cutting said skin tissue following said initiating.

17 . A method according to claim 16 , comprising:

controlling said applicator to prevent damage to the skin surface contacting the applicator.