An increasing number of non-invasive skin treatment devices are being provided for use by consumers instead of by medical professionals. Such home use raises new concerns, such as safety and treatment efficacy. The invention improves on existing devices and treatment methods. The invention provides a device and method, wherein a light source is configured and arranged to provide a first (31) and a second (32) region of non-zero intensity within a transverse cross-section of a laser light beam (21) having a single higher-order laser beam mode, and a third region (33), disposed between the first (31) and second (32) regions, of lower light intensity than the non-zero light intensity. The first (31) and second (32) regions are configured to create, during use, a lesion in skin tissue in the focal spot of the laser light beam, and the third (33) region is configured to avoid creating in the focal spot, during use, a lesion in skin tissue between the lesions created by the first and second regions. For example, the light source may be configured and arranged to produce laser light in a higher mode, the order being higher than fundamental mode. The intensity pattern of the beam profile, with its regions of substantially differing intensity, is substantially constant along the propagation axis. This provides an area in the skin tissue in the focal spot at the treatment location with substantially no lesions, disposed between areas of lesions.
