HAIR REMOVAL APPARATUS FOR PERSONAL USE AND THE METHOD OF USING SAME
Hair or partial hair removal system and hair growth deterrent that includes mechanical process for cutting, plucking or shaving hair follicles, along with pre and/or post skin treatment techniques. The skin treatment techniques can include the application of energy to the skin surface before, after and/or during the application of the mechanical process. Such techniques include the application of heat and/or energy from illumination sources and/or RF emitters. Further skin treatment techniques include the application of solutions before, after and/or during the mechanical process and/or the application of heat and/or energy. Overall, the system operates to treat an area of skin to facilitate the removal of all or a portion of hair, retard further growth, and recovery of skin surface.
1 . An applicator for hair removal, the applicator comprising:
an exchangeable mechanical hair removal mechanism;
two illumination cartridges being detachable from an applicator casing configured to follow a treated skin segment contour and provide illumination with one or more wavelengths; and
one or more sensors, with at least one of the sensors being a motion direction sensor configured to activate the illumination cartridges according to the applicator displacement direction when the applicator is applied to a subject skin and displaced over the skin,
wherein the hair removal mechanism is located between the two illumination cartridges.
2 . The applicator according to claim 1 , further comprising two RF electrodes, each RF electrode being arranged between the respective illumination cartridge and the hair removal mechanism, wherein the RF electrodes are configured to provide RF energy to heat a segment of skin being in contact with the RF electrodes and located between the RF electrodes.
3 . The applicator according to claim 1 , further comprising two RF electrodes, wherein each of the two illumination cartridges is arranged between the respective RF electrode and the hair removal mechanism, and wherein the RF electrodes are configured to provide RF energy to heat a segment of skin being in contact with the RF electrodes and located between the RF electrodes.
4 . The applicator according to claim 1 , further comprising two pairs of RF electrodes, wherein each of the two illumination cartridges is arranged between the respective pair of RF electrodes, wherein the hair removal mechanism is arranged between the two pairs of RF electrodes, and wherein the RF electrodes are configured to provide RF energy to heat a segment of skin being in contact with the RF electrodes and located between the RF electrodes.
5 . The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination cartridges pressed-in activate electrical and electronic circuits of the applicator.
6 . The applicator according to claims 1 , wherein at least one sensing mechanism is configured to increase supply of RF energy to RF electrodes or activate illumination sources packed in the illumination cartridges.
7 . The applicator according to claim 6 , wherein the sensing mechanism is one of a group of direction sensors, micro switches, temperature sensors, or an impedance sensing mechanism.
8 . The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the hair removal mechanism is one of a group of rotary based tweezing epilator, spring type epilator, razor, or electric shaver.
9 . The applicator according to claim 8 , wherein the hair removal mechanism comprises rotary based tweezers including a lever terminated by a blade with a preset and regulated difference between the location of the tweezers and the location of the blades of lever, and wherein a pulling force of the rotating tweezers is set to tension the hair without pulling it out of the skin and form a goose bump protruding over the rest of the skin surface surrounding the hair such that when the blade cuts the hair the hair retracts deeper than skin surface.
10 . The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination cartridges include at least one of a group of illumination sources consisting of an incandescent lamp, xenon lamp, laser diode, LED, laser or a combination of them.
11 . The applicator according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one illumination source operates in a continuous or pulse operation mode, and wherein the respective illumination source or cartridge is interchangeable and removable.
12 . The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination cartridges have a freedom of movement with respect to the applicator casing.
13 . The applicator according to claim 1 , further comprising skin and hair pre-treatment and post-treatment devices, wherein the skin and hair pre-treatment device is operative to clean by spray or cleaning solution the skin to be treated and hair post-treatment device is operative to disperse over the treated segment of skin a cream or lotion reducing skin irritation.
14 . An applicator for hair removal, comprising:
a fitting-the-palm-casing;
one or more illumination sources configured to provide illumination with one or more wavelengths;
an exchangeable mechanical hair removal mechanism;
at least one direction sensor configured to activate at least one illumination source according to the applicator displacement direction when the applicator is applied to a subject skin and displaced over the skin; and
at least one cartridge which package the respective illumination source, wherein each cartridge is detachable from the applicator casing and has a freedom of movement with respect to the applicator casing;
wherein the applicator further comprises RF electrodes configured to provide RF energy to a segment of skin being in contact with the electrodes and located between the electrodes, to induce current which heats the skin so as to weaken or destroy residual hair follicles and bulbs.
15 . The applicator according to claim 14 , wherein RF electrodes are located on both external and internal sides of the respective cartridge.
16 . The applicator according to claim 14 , further comprising at least one sensing mechanism configured to:
increase supply of RF energy to the RF electrodes; or
activate the one or more illumination sources.
17 . The applicator according to claim 14 , further comprising at least one cosmetic material dispenser configured to dispense a cosmetic material over the skin segment to be treated.
18 . The applicator according to claim 17 , wherein the at least one cosmetic material dispenser comprises at least one first dispenser configured to dispense a skin pre-treatment cleaning solution and at least one second dispenser configured to dispense a skin post-treatment cream or lotion.
19 . The applicator according to claim 17 , wherein illumination flux produced by the respective illumination source is configured to heat the skin so as to weaken the hair follicle and hair shaft and destroy the remaining hair follicles and bulbs not removed by the mechanical hair removal mechanism.
20 . The application according to claim 16 , wherein the sensing mechanism is an impedance sensing circuit configured to:
sense the impedance change from an infinite value to a measurable finite value; and
enable, if a finite impedance between the RF electrodes in sensed:
RF emission;
treated skin segment illumination by at least one illumination source; and
application of post-treatment cream or lotion.