Method and system for controlled spatially-selective epidermal pigmentation phototherapy with UVA LEDs

1. A method for treating an area of tissue, where the area of tissue includes a plurality of different sub-areas of tissue which have different characteristics:

providing a plurality of light emitting devices optically coupled with the area of tissue, wherein the light emitting devices are configured into different regions, where different sub-areas of tissue having different characteristics correspond to different regions of light emitting diodes;

sensing an amount of light reflected from each of the different sub-areas;

driving a first region of the plurality of light emitting devices to output a first light treatment to a first sub-area of tissue, wherein the first light treatment is determined based on a first amount of light reflected from the first sub-area; and

driving a second region of the plurality of light emitting devices to output a second light treatment to a second sub-area of tissue, wherein the second light treatment is determined based on a second amount of light reflected from the second sub-area of tissue.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first light treatment induces a first amount of tanning in the first sub-area.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the second light treatment induces a second amount of tanning in the second sub-area.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first light treatment includes light having a wavelength below 400 nm.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first light treatment provides for an irradiance at least 100 mW/cm 2 for the first sub-area.

6. The method of 1 , wherein the first light treatment provides for a first level of irradiance for the first sub-area, and the second light treatment provides for a second level or irradiance for the second sub-area and the second level of irradiance is less that the first level or irradiance.

7. The method of claim 1 , further including driving the plurality of light emitting devices to induce tanning in the area of tissue, such that the tanning operates to provide for a more uniform distribution pigmentation in the area tissue, than was present in the area of tissue prior to the induced tanning.

8. A method for treating an area of tissue, where the area of tissue includes a plurality of different sub-areas of tissue which have different amounts of pigmentation:

sensing an amount of light reflected from each of the plurality of different sub-areas; and

applying a light treatment to the area of tissue, based on the amount of light reflected from each of the plurality of different sub-areas, wherein the light treatment operates to reduce differences in the amount of pigmentation in different sub-areas of tissue.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the applying the light treatment includes:

generating a first amount of light to apply a first light treatment to a first sub-area of the area of tissue; and

generating a second amount of light to apply a second light treatment to a second sub-area of the area of tissue.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the applying the light treatment includes:

applying a first amount of light energy to a first group of sub-areas of tissue of the area of tissue, where the first group of sub-areas of tissue have less pigmentation, than a second group of sub-areas of tissue to which the first amount of light energy is not applied.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first amount of light energy induces a first amount of tanning in the first group of sub-areas of tissue.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first amount of light energy includes light having a wavelength below 400 nm.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first amount of light energy provides for an irradiance at least 100 mW/cm 2 for the first group of sub-areas.