- What is laser?
- How does laser help in dermatology?
- What are the different kind of lasers?
- What are the skin conditions which can be treated by lasers?
- What is laser hair removal?
- What is laser?
- Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of
Radiation (LASER) produces an intense beam of light of particular
wavelength with insignificant dispersion over a short
distance. This property is utilized in dermatology to treat various
skin disorders.
- How does laser help in dermatology?
- When a laser beam is directed at the skin, it is
absorbed by the water, naturally occurring pigments like melanin and
hemoglobin. It is also absorbed by artificial pigments introduced by
means of tattooing.
Lasers causes very precise tissue destruction of the lesion in focus and leaves the skin tissue in the immediate surrounding undamaged. It is this precision that has generated tremendous interest among dermatosurgeons to use it as an operative tool.
- What are the different kind of lasers ?
- There are various kind of lasers available today
depending on the source producing the laser. Each of them have specific
range of utility, depending on its wavelength and penetration.
Some commonly used lasers are enumerated below.
- Carbon dioxide laser
- Erbium YAG laser
- Nd-YAG laser
- Pulsed dye laser
- Diode laser
- Alexandrite laser
- Argon laser
- Ruby laser
- CARBON DIOXIDE LASER
Carbon dioxide laser produces an infra red laser which is absorbed by water. It can be used as a focused or defocused laser. The focused laser is used for skin resurfacing in super pulsed mode which is also called 'laserbrasion' (rapid pulsing of powerful laser beam). It is used for treating acne scars, chicken pox scars, fine lines, wrinkles, sun damage, rhinophyma, actinic chelitis.
In defocused mode there is a large spot of laser that is less intense and pulsed. It removes thin very superficial layers of skin without penetrating deeper.It can be used to remove skin tags, dermatosis papulosa nigra, warts, syringomas, moles, seborrhoeic keratosis, milia, sebaceous hyperplasia.
Carbon dioxide laser is a powerful tool but it has high incidence of scarring and pigmentary disturbances in inexperienced hands.
- Nd YAG / ERBIUM YAG LASER
'Neo dynamium - Yttrium Aluminum Garnet laser' (Nd YAG laser ) is a versatile laser. It has a wave length of 1064 nm and has the capability to reach deeper layers of skin tissue. In Q - switched mode Nd YAG produces two wavelengths, one in the infrared range (1064nm), this is used for blue tattoos, deep (professional) tattoos and dermal pigmented lesions. Second is 532nm which is useful for superficial brown lesions,solar lentigenes,freckles and red / orange tattoos. Pigment removal is done by rapid short pulsed laser beams. Long pulsed beams are used for epilation & telangiectasia.However,white hairs cannot be removed.
Erbium YAG is has a wave length of 2940 nm. It produces laser in the infrared range. In pulsed mode it is used for treatment of wrinkles, acne scars (resurfacing), precancerous lesions and for 'laser peels'.- The 1540 erbium glass laser is used for
rejuvenation of skin.
- PULSED DYE LASER
As the name suggests this laser uses a liquid dye (Rhodamine 64). It produces yellow laser which is delivered in short flashes. This is absorbed by the hemoglobin present in the blood and tissues and produces heat damage. This is therefore use to treat vascular lesions like Portwine stains,nevus flemmus, hemangiomas, keloids, hypertrophic scars. It is also used to treat pigmented nevi.
Long pulsed dye laser is used to treat fine veins,telangiectasia and blushing.
- DIODE LASER
Diode laser is a semiconductor laser. It produces laser beam in the wave length of 800 nm. It is most popularly used for removal of black /brown hair. (white hair are not targeted by laser beam) Innovative devices with cooling mechanisms give better results with less scarring. Diode lasers have been found to work well on dark skin (Gallium Aluminum Arsenide Semiconductor Diode laser, 810 nm). In dark skin long pulsed diode laser is preferred. diode laser in long pulsed mode is also used for treatment of leg veins.
- ALEXANDRITE LASER
Alexandrite laser produces beam in the wavelength of 755 nm. It is also available in the Q - switched mode. It is absorbed by the melanin and the artificial tattoos in the skin. Rapid pulsed alexandrite is used to remove tattoos, benign pigmented lesions.
Long pulsed Alexandrite laser is used for hair removal.
- ARGON LASER
- Argon laser has the wavelength of 488 nm and 514
nm. It produces blue and green colored lasers which are absorbed by
pigments like Hemoglobin and Melanin. Argon laser is used to treat skin
diseases like A-V malformations, Hemangiomas, fine veins, spider nevi
and acne rosacea.
- RUBY LASER
Ruby laser produces red beam in the wavelength of 694 nm. It is also available in Q - switched mode. In high energy rapid pulsed mode it is used to remove tattoos, brown pigmented disorders like actinic lentigenes, freckles, nevi and 'cafe-au-lait' spots,dilated blue veins,peri orbital pigmentation.
- What are the skin conditions which can be treated by lasers?
-
- Tattoos
Q - switched Ruby laser is commonly used to remove red and orange
tattoos. Blue, grey & black tattoos are removed with Q switched
Nd Yag laser. Multiple sessions over many months may be required to
attain favorable results. Color of the tattoo and the depth of the
pigment influence the duration and the out come of the laser treatment.
- Portwine stains
can be removed with Pulsed dye laser.It requires multiple sittings but
results are satisfying.
- Spider nevi can
be treated with Pulsed dye laser and Long pulsed Nd YAG laser. Lesions
on the face can be treated with KTP laser.
- Warts
a viral infection caused by Human Papiloma virus are effectively
removed by Carbon dioxide or Pulsed dye lasers.
- Scars
like acne scars, ice pick scars are resurfaced with Erbium YAG laser or
Carbon dioxide laser. Hypertrophic scars are flattened with Pulsed dye
laser.
- Moles and Nevi
are removed for medical or cosmetic reasons using Carbon dioxide, Ruby
or Erbium YAG laser depending on the type. Pulsed Dye Lasers are also
used to treat 'Giant pigmented nevi'. Becker's nevus can be treated
with Q switched Ruby or Q Switched Nd Yag or Q switched Alexandrite
laser.
- Lentigenes (age
spots) are removed using Ruby laser or Q switched Nd yag
laser..
- Hair removal temporary
or long term has become an easier task with advent of lasers. Largely,
laser hair removal gives excellent results in fair skinned people.
Listed below are a few lasers used for hair removal.
- Long pulsed Nd YAG
- long pulsed Alexandrite laser
- Long pulse diode
The lasers are absorbed by hair follicle and spares other skin appendages. Cooling devices further prevent the heat damage to rest of the skin. Laser hair removal needs multiple sessions. Re-growth of hair after each session may take from 3 months to up to a year where latter is considered as a 'very good result'. The re-growth is thinner, slower and scantier after each session.
- Resurfacing is done effectively using lasers for acne scars, pits and small pox scars. Wrinkles are also treated by this technique. This procedure involves precise removal of very thin layer of irregular skin. Carbon dioxide laser and Erbium YAG laser are used for laser-ablation. Q - switched Nd YAG laser is used for non-ablative resurfacing.
- Tattoos
Q - switched Ruby laser is commonly used to remove red and orange
tattoos. Blue, grey & black tattoos are removed with Q switched
Nd Yag laser. Multiple sessions over many months may be required to
attain favorable results. Color of the tattoo and the depth of the
pigment influence the duration and the out come of the laser treatment.
ACNE | KELOID | VITILIGO | PIGMENTATION | HAIR LOSS |
This site has been developed for information only. The treatment methodologies described are only enumerations and should not be followed as regimens without valid prescription given by a qualified medical doctor. The treatment procedures described in the site are not without risk and the author is not responsible for complication that arise in the course of the treatment done by other doctors.
Your views are welcome.