Skin cooling expands the boundaries of laser procedures

Lasers and high-intensity light sources have been used with varying degrees of effectiveness in the treatment of vascular & pigmented lesions, tattoo and hair removals for a number of years. The challenge has always been delivering high enough fluences to the affected area while minimizing pain and scarring.  Doctors using EpiCool have found that they can increase light intensity by anywhere from 20% to 100% while controlling the skin temperature with +/- 1  degrees C.  As a result, they are able to provide more satisfactory results in less time with less discomfort.

Variable light penetration of the epidermis and dermis

The epidermis is normally four times more absorptive of light than the dermis.  As a result, without a cooling system and with most laser treatments, the expected temperature within the epidermis is at least four times higher than that within the dermis if the light intensity is the same throughout both layers of skin.  In practical applications, however, the intensity of light is e2 times higher at the surface than at the distance referred to as the depth of penetration, where “e” is a constant of approximately 2.78.  In other words, the intensity of light at the epidermis is approximately seven times greater than at the depth of penetration point within the dermis. The typical depth of penetration for most lasers used for leg vein treatments and hair removal is in the range of 1-4 millimeters. Consequently, the expected temperature at the epidermis is 28 times more than the temperature within a few millimeters into dermis.

Moreover, the temperature of the epidermis becomes even higher in skin types III, IV and V due to higher epidermal absorptions. For these reasons, the potential of laser treatments for most vascular/pigmented lesions and tattoo/hair removal has been limited by the negative side effects of blistering and scarring.

EpiCool was developed to significantly reduce this problem by providing a means of controlling the cooling of the epidermis throughout and beyond treatment pulses, thereby reducing the possibility of blistering dramatically.

The EpiCool System

Using patented technology, EpiCool is a compact cooling system that provides a handpiece that works with most laser or high-intensity light source systems, such as Diode, KTP, YAG, Alexandrite, Copper Vapor, Argon, or Pulsed Dye.  The tip of the handpiece uses a Cryo-Sapphire-Tip that removes heat 100 times better than glass and is connected to the Desktop’s monitor which allows the physician to control both desired skin temperature and cooling intervals. The system also uses highly purified Tetrafluorethane cryogen in containers that have a feedback mechanism that allows the monitor to warn the physician when the amount of remaining coolant is getting low.

EpiCool is 12”x12”x2” in dimension and uses a standard 110 volt (1-amp) or 220 volt (0.5 amp) outlet.

Other cooling techniques in use today do not provide the required level of control

Previously, vendors have suggested a variety of other cooling techniques, such as the use of ice packs, cold air blowers, direct cryogen spurts, and ice-water glass containers.  These approaches are inherently limited by the fact that the temperature does not remain constant in such a way as to allow the physician to produce a peak temperature at a controlled depth below the surface of the skin. While these techniques have reduced damage to the epidermis, they have not provided the physician with the control needed to most effectively address the affected treatment area.

EpiCool puts the physician in control

By providing the physician with a means of controlling both the surface temperature and the time-interval for checking the temperature, EpiCool provides physicians with a cooling system that adapts to their use of laser devices rather than a cooling system to which they must adapt their use of lasers.   The result is positive on all fronts – the treatment is more efficient and more effective – and the patient experiences less pain.

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