RAPID FLASH OPTICAL THERAPY
Systems and methods are disclosed for maintaining a therapeutically significant level of energy at a treatment area that can include rapid charging of a storage element and triggering of a flashlamp by discharging the storage element and repeating the charging and triggering a predetermined number of times during a treatment period to raise and maintain a temperature at the treatment area to a predetermined therapeutic level.
1 . A method of maintaining a therapeutically significant level of energy at a treatment area, the method comprising:
determining current provided to a primary winding of a fly-back transformer, the fly-back transformer comprising said primary winding and a secondary winding;
charging an energy storage device by discharging energy from said secondary winding into said energy storage device when said measured current is within a predetermined range;
repeating said determining and said discharging until stored energy with said energy storage device is within a predetermined discharge range;
triggering a flashlamp when said stored energy is within the predetermined discharge range such that said stored energy is discharged across said flashlamp;
emitting light from said flashlamp into a treatment area as a result of said triggering, said light comprising a plurality of wavelengths in a range of from about 400 nm to about 100 nm; and
repeating said charging and triggering a predetermined number of times during a treatment period to raise and maintain a temperature at said treatment area to a predetermined therapeutic level.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said energy storage device comprises at least one capacitor.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said fly-back transformer further comprises a core, and wherein said predetermined range corresponds to flux saturation of said core.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said predetermined discharge range comprises about 300 Vdc.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said triggering comprises ionizing gas contained in said flashlamp.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said light comprises a plurality of wavelengths in a range of from about 400 nm to about 700 nm.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said predetermined number of times is six times.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said treatment period is about two seconds.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said treatment area comprises tissue containing Acne Vulgaris bacteria.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said predetermined therapeutic level is about 49 degrees Celsius.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said predetermined therapeutic level is at least 49 degrees Celsius.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said repeating said charging and triggering is sufficient to raise and maintain an energy density at the treatment area to a predetermined therapeutic energy density.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined therapeutic energy density is about 6 J/cm 2 at the treatment area.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the predetermined therapeutic energy density is at least 6 J/cm 2 at the treatment area.
15 - 28 . (canceled)
29 . A light-emitting therapeutic device for treating acne, comprising:
a fly-back transformer;
an energy storage device coupled to an output of said fly-back transformer;
a flashlamp coupled to said energy storage device; and
a controller, said controller configured to flash said flashlamp, by delivering energy from said energy storage device to said flashlamp, a sufficient number of times within a predetermined treatment period to raise the temperature of a treatment area having acne to at least 49 degrees Celsius during said treatment period.
30 . The device of claim 29 , wherein said sufficient number of times is six times.
31 . The device of claim 29 , wherein said predetermined treatment period is about two seconds.
32 . A method of treating acne with a light-emitting therapeutic device, comprising:
charging an energy storage device using a fly-back transformer;
triggering a flashlamp to discharge energy stored with said energy storage device across said flashlamp, wherein said triggering causes said flashlamp to emit therapeutic light; and
repeating said charging and triggering a sufficient number of times within a predetermined treatment period to raise the temperature of a treatment area having acne to at least 49 degrees Celsius during said treatment period with said therapeutic light.
33 . The method of claim 32 , wherein said sufficient number of times is six times.
34 . The device of claim 32 , wherein said predetermined treatment period is about two seconds.
35 - 106 . (canceled)