The word laser stands for Light wave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. A laser beam is a very powerful (amplified) light beam (radiation) that is emitted (emission) from a tube which is designed to create one specific color or wavelength of light. A complex electrical method is used to stimulate (stimulated) the light into a powerful amplified state. Medical and surgical lasers are designed to emit or produce specific colors which are highly and specifically absorbed by different tissues of the human body. This technique is called phototherapy or light therapy. When a laser beam hits a tissue that is the correct color for that particular laser beam, the laser energy heats and destroys the tissue.
For example, a laser beam that has a laser wavelength of 650nm (nm is the unit that identifies a specific color of light in the visible spectrum) is preferentially absorbed by the color brown. If this 650nm laser beam hits a brown spot on your skin, the brown spot will be heated and vaporized.
Before lasers and phototherapy, non specific heat, like electrocautery or surgery with a scalpel was used to remove a brown skin lesion like a sun spot or age spot. The problem with this older technique was that the damage was non-specific for the color brown and damaged all elements of the brown spot and the normal skin around the brown spot. The result was a much bigger skin injury than necessary just to remove the brown spot. A bigger wound was created and a scar was the result.
Since a light beam used in phototherapy can specifically remove only the brown spot, the surrounding skin is not injured and a brown spot can be removed and the undamaged skin is left without a scar.
This specificity of the light beam for a specific colored target is called Target Specific Photothermolysis. Photo stands for light. Thermo stands for heat. Lysis stands for rupture, removal or vaporization of the target. The light hits a specifically colored target, heats the target (a brown spot) and vaporizes the target-brown spot.
There are hundreds of different wavelengths that can be tuned to vaporize very specifically colored biologic targets on the human body. The color of hair, blood vessels, tattoos, veins, arteries, pigment in brown spots and other colors can each be specifically targeted best by one particular wavelength. The trick is to produce the specific wavelength that is needed for the application you desire. Some wavelengths used in cosmetic surgery are:
o 532nm-Absorbed by red-purple-used to vaporize blood vessels and spider veins
o 755nm-Absorbed by brown-black and used for hair removal and tattoo removal
o 1064nm-Absorbed by purple-black and used for hair removal and closure of large veins
o 10,000nm-CO2 absorbed by water inside the skin cells, ruptures the skin cell, used for incisions and to vaporize skin growths
o 1440nm and 1540nm-Erbium absorbed by water and used to coagulate deep collagen in the skin to stimulate new collagen and plump skin wrinkles and acne scars
o 2940nm-Erbium absorbed by water, vaporizes cells, used to resurface the skin and remove wrinkles
o 924nm- The 924nm is absorbed by the color yellow and is used to dissolve fat during liposuction
How is laser plastic surgery done?
All phototherapy techniques work by producing heat. That heat can be used to vaporize tissue, coagulate tissue, melt tissue and incise or cut tissue. The most common application of these four methods are:
o Vaporize Tissue-Removal of warts, skin cancers, sun damage, brown spots, wrinkles, bumps on skin and other skin growths called lesions.
o Coagulate Tissue-Coagulate means to covert a liquid to a solid; the classic example is the coagulation of blood to form a blood clot. This technique can be used to coagulate blood in a vein or artery and the injury causes the vessel to close and thus remove the artery or vein. Heat can also be passed through the skin to coagulate or injure collagen deep in the skin. This process is used to stimulate the skin to form new collagen which can plump wrinkles or improve acne scars.
o Melt Tissue-The 924nm wavelength used in liposuction involves using heat to melt and liquefy fat beneath the skin. Some fat is also coagulated in this process.
o Incise or Cut Tissue-This type of incision is most frequently used to perform eyelid surgery called blepharoplasty, and operation to remove eye hoods and bags under the eyes. Thicker skin is not routinely incised with this technique because heat buildup is greater in thick skin and can cause scarring. However the eyelid skin is an ideal application for this technique. The benefit is that blood vessels are sealed during the incision thus there is less bleeding and less bruising after the operation.
What Is IPL-Intense Pulsed light or Photo-facial the Other Phototherapy?
Intense pulsed light, also called IPL or Photo facial is also a form of phototherapy or light therapy used in cosmetic surgery and dermatology. Intense pulsed light (IPL) uses a flash of bright visible light, like a very powerful camera flash to heat tissues and vaporize or coagulate the tissue. The specific colors or wavelengths necessary to treat different colored tissues is released by placing a filter in front of the light flash which only transmits the correct wavelength selected for the application.
Depending on the filter used, ideal wavelengths of light for hair removal, removal of blood vessels and brown spots and removal of dark circles under the eyes caused by broken blood vessels are available.
IPL is less powerful and generally is less painful when used on the skin-often no anesthetic is required. In addition, skin injury or burns are less frequent using Intense Pulsed Light.
Intense pulsed light or Photo-facial is an excellent method to treat large skin areas. Photo-facial treatments can be used to remove brown spots, small blood vessels and sun damage from the face, chest and hands. Because the Intense Pulsed light treatment head is larger, results of treatments are more uniform without white marks from over treatment with more focused devices.
Intense pulsed light treatments can also be done for hair removal. Again, larger areas can be easily treated more quickly and uniformly. Intense pulsed light is particularly useful for large areas such as the back, legs and chest.
Which is Better-Laser or IPL?
There is no one method that is better for all applications than the other. There are some applications that have better results with the laser and some that are better treated with intense pulsed light. You must depend on the knowledge and skill of a physician who is trained and expert at light therapy. Only a physician who has knowledge of the entire line of light based cosmetic skin treatments will be able to give you an informed opinion. How Do I find the Right Doctor?
You must understand that in the United States all that is required to provide light therapies is a valid medical license. While hospitals do a very good job of credentialing doctors, private offices without approved operating rooms have no such credentialing process.
In a hospital you are not allowed to perform surgery unless you can document that you have received approved residency training in the specialty in which you want to do surgery.
In a private office, if you have a valid medical license you can put up a sign call yourself anything you want. There are doctors who advertise as cosmetic surgeons who have never had one day of training in surgery. This practice was challenged in the courts over 25 years ago and the court held that to require proof of training in plastic surgery to call yourself a plastic surgeon was a violation of free trade and illegal.
This state of affairs leaves you the patient at risk of having an important medical or surgical procedure done by someone without appropriate skill or training.
What can you do? The answer is to seek consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Check their website for doctors in your area. Board Dermatologists are also trained and certified in happinesslifetime.com skin care and light therapy. Check the American Board of Dermatology for a doctor in your area.
The American Society of Lasers in Medicine and Surgery is a society of physicians and surgeons who are specifically interested in light therapy and photo-medicine. Physicians who are board certified in Plastic Surgery or Dermatology who also belong to the ASLMS are most likely to have the most knowledge about this field.
These new light applications are revolutionary new methods for treating skin disease and achieving cosmetic improvement in face and body appearance. They are less invasive than surgery, cause less scarring and require less recovery than many cosmetic surgical techniques. New cosmetic light treatments are being discovered yearly and this trend toward non-invasive, non-surgical light based cosmetic treatments will continue. There are many excellent treatments available.
Just do your homework, understand what you are trying to achieve, and find the appropriate board certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist to provide you with a safe effective result.
drseckel.com/facial-rejuvenation/facial-rejuvenation-modern-techniques-for-a-young-looking-face See before and after pictures of results of laser skin care. drseckel.com/laser-skin-rejuvenation/laser-skin-care-what-lasers-do-how-they-work Learn more about what lasers and IPL can do for your skin.
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