PELTIER COOLED APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR DERMATOLOGICAL TREATMENT

摘要

An apparatus for treating dermatological conditions with radiation includes a Peltier device (20) for cooling the treatment area of the patient's skin. The Peltier cooling device has a cold surface in thermal communication with the treatment area, and a hot surface with an aperture (30) extending between the cold and hot surfaces through which radiation is directed to the treatment area. In one embodiment, lens (80) disposed within the aperture (30) of the cooling device distributes the cooling effect to provide substantially uniform cooling across the treatment area. A temperature sensor (70) senses the temperature of the treatment area, and is used to control the Peltier cooling device and/or the radiation source to ensure that the treatment area does not exceed a predetermined temperature. Various radiation sources are suitable for use with the Peltier cooled apparatus, including lasers and gas discharge lamps such as arc lamps and flash lamps.