Disclosed herein are apparatuses, systems, kits, and methods for treating skin, such as skin tightening or for treating diseases, disorders, and conditions that would benefit from tissue area or volume reduction, skin restoration, skin tightening, skin lifting, and/or skin repositioning and/or for generally improving skin function or appearance (e.g., the removal of unwanted skin features or irregularities such as sebaceous glands, sweat glands, hair follicles, necrosis, and fibrosis). Such apparatuses, systems, kits, and methods comprise an apparatus having a handheld main body and a detachably attachable tip comprising one or more needles.

A method of attaching prosthetic implants to bone, applicable to tibia, patella, acetabulum, glenoid, or femur, includes trimming an articular surface of the bone, leaving a trimmed surface. Holes are punched or drilled into the surface in a predetermined array before polymethyl methacrylate bone cement is used to attach the surface to the implant. In an embodiment, the holes are punched by placing a punch-plate with sharpened punch spikes on the surface, and striking the punch plate to drive punches into the trimmed surface. In another embodiment, holes are drilled using a drilling template with predrilled guidance holes placed on the surface of the bone. In another embodiment, holes are drilled by positioning a robotic drill over the trimmed surface; adjusting a drilling pattern of the robotic drill according to the trimmed surface; and using the robotic drill to drill holes of predetermined depth according to the drilling pattern.

Surgical tools and kits for performing methods include a grommet with cylindrical shaft, cutting tip, annular flange with suture retaining anchoring fixture; a grommet jig for extending between adjacent grommets and guiding a needle therebetween; a family of needles with single and double pointed ends, reinforced eyelets, stops to limit inadvertent exiting, double shaft construction with a longitudinal gap and sharpened, slicing ends, including a “J” shape embodiment; a bone anchor with ring to secure sutures about a patient's clavicle; a tissue dissector having radially extending cones to nick taut connecting tissues; a tissue rasp having a series of crisscrossing grooves along an end; a tissue mesher comprising one or more blocks having a matrix of holes for clamping a plurality of needles and a supporting framework; and a kit device and a method of surgically inserting an internal mesh brassiere under the breast skin.

Disclosed herein are apparatuses, kits, and methods for treating skin, such as skin tightening, e.g., reducing skin laxity, for treating conditions that would benefit from tissue area or volume reduction, skin restoration, skin tightening, skin lifting, and/or skin repositioning, and/or for generally improving skin function or appearance. Such apparatuses, kits, and methods include one or more hollow needles each having at least one prong and a mechanism for removing skin tissue portion(s) from the hollow needle(s).

A needling device may be used for needling of a subject's skin, and a drug applicator device may be used for applying a drug to a subject's skin. For example, a needling device may be applied to a subject's skin for hair growth applications, or may be used for wrinkle, scar, or tattoo removal. A drug applicator device may be used for multiple drug application purposes such as applying a hair growth compound to the skin of a subject.

A system comprising a handpiece and drive system configured to removably couple to a proximal end of a housing. A scalpet assembly is configured to removeably couple to the housing, and includes a scalpet array comprising at least one scalpet configured for rotation. The scalpet array is configured to harvest dermal plugs via fractional resection. A collection chamber is configured to collect the dermal plugs, and to house formation of an injectable filler by mincing the dermal plugs, and mixing the dermal plugs with a carrier. The injectable filler is configured for bulk fill. The collection chamber includes a loading port, and a cannular syringe is configured to mate with the loading port to receive the injectable filler, and to deliver the injectable filler for the bulk fill.

A microprojection array comprising a substrate with a plurality of microprojections protruding from the substrate wherein the microprojections have a tapering hexagonal shape and comprise a tip and a base wherein the base has two substantially parallel sides with a slight draught angle of approximately 1 to 20 degrees up to a transition point at which point the angle increases to from about 20 degrees to about 70 degrees.

A medical device for delivering a drug compound through a stratum corneum includes a support having an aperture, an array of microneedles extending outwardly from the support, a plurality of nanostructures associated with each microneedle, and a reservoir wherein the drug compound is retained. At least one microneedle contains a shaft extending from the support. The shaft includes a tip configured to penetrate the stratum corneum. The shaft defines a channel extending from the support to the tip. The channel is in at least partial alignment with the aperture. At least some of the microneedles of the array of microneedles each have a cross-sectional dimension of from about 1 micrometer to about 1 millimeter. At least some of the nanostructures have a cross-sectional dimension less than about 500 nanometers and greater than about 5 nanometers and an aspect ratio of from about 0.2 to about 5.

A device for delivery of material to a biological subject, the device including a base and a number of projections extending from the base, each projection including a tip for penetrating tissue of the biological subject, at least a portion of at least one of the projections being coated with a non-liquid coating including the material. At least the tip of at least one of the coated projections may have a convex effective profile. The device may be for delivery of material to a dermal layer of the biological subject. In another aspect an applicator for applying the device to the biological subject applies a preload force to the tissue such that the force at least partially compresses a subcutaneous tissue layer of the biological subject prior to application of the device, and applies the device with a predetermined velocity, wherein tissue stiffness is maintained and/or the projections penetrate the tissue to a predetermined depth.

A device and method for intravascular treatment of atherosclerotic plaque prior to balloon angioplasty which microperforates the plaque with small sharp spikes acting as serrations for forming cleavage lines or planes in the plaque. The spikes may also be used to transport medication into the plaque. The plaque preparation treatment enables subsequent angioplasty to be performed at low balloon pressures of about 4 atmospheres or less, reduces dissections, and avoids injury to the arterial wall. The subsequent angioplasty may be performed with a drug-eluting balloon (DEB) or drug-coated balloon (DCB). The pre-angioplasty perforation procedure enables more drug to be absorbed during DEB or DCB angioplasty, and makes the need for a stent less likely. Alternatively, any local incidence of plaque dissection after balloon angioplasty may be treated by applying a thin, ring-shaped tack at the dissection site only, rather than applying a stent over the overall plaque site.