Abstract: A compact, handheld device can be used to treat a sebaceous follicle disorder in a preselected dermal region of mammalian skin. A treatment can ameliorate at least one symptom of a lesion characteristic of the disorder.

Abstract: Treating skin can include delivering a beam of radiation to a target region of the skin to cause a zone of thermal injury including a lateral pattern of varying depths of thermal injury distributed along the target region. The lateral pattern includes at least one first sub-zone of a first depth of thermal injury laterally adjacent to at least one second sub-zone of a second depth of thermal injury. The first depth is greater than the second depth. The at least one first sub-zone of the first depth and the at least one second sub-zone of the second depth extend from a surface of the target region of the skin to form a substantially continuous surface thermal injury. The at least one first sub-zone of the first depth and the at least one second sub-zone of the second depth are substantially heated to at least a critical temperature.

Abstract: A treatment for subcutaneous fat and/or cellulite includes delivering a beam of radiation to a subcutaneous fat region disposed relative to a dermal interface in a target region of skin. The beam of radiation affects at least one fat cell in the subcutaneous fat region without causing substantial unwanted injury to the epidermal region and causes thermal injury to a dermal region to induce collagen formation to strengthen the target region of skin in a target region of skin. The treatment can include cooling an epidermal region of the target region of skin.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to endovascularly treat blood vessels using a light beam that causes minimal collateral damage to surrounding tissue is described. The technique can improve the appearance of a blood vessel and/or reduce its size, as well as relieve other medical symptoms. The wavelength of the light beam can be selected so as to heat one or more chromophores either inside the blood vessel or within the blood vessel wall itself. Access to the vein lumen of the targeted blood vessel can be obtained via an optical fiber inserted into the blood vessel through a catheter.