By the law of physics, a noncoherent flash of light can only travel a fraction of the dis­tance than that of a coherent beam like a 1,064 nm YAG laser, and subsequently cannot penetrate nearly as deep into the skin. For this reason, the pulsed light systems in the mar­ket today have not been optimized […]

As seen in Fig. 4.6, a higher blood and epidermal melanin absorption is in the 400-700 nm range, with a drop in the 700-900 nm range (deeper melanin selective wave­lengths), and then an increase in blood absorption in the 900-1,200 nm range. This means that by using the 400-600 nm range, we can create a […]

4.3.1 Overview Until this point, our discussion has been focused upon lasers. These have been single wavelength, coherent beams of light, which are used to treat various conditions. Although many of these systems are extremely effective in their respective functionalities, the fact that they all emit a single wavelength of light limits their versatility. Having […]

4.2.3.1 Vascular Application When treating vascular issues with light-based technology, the depth of the vessel plays a major role in the decision of which technology to use. Superficial facial vessels are gener­ally smaller in size, and closer to the surface of the skin, and as a result, are easily treated by highly absorbed wavelengths in […]

As discussed earlier, before Van Gemart proved the depth capabilities of the 532 nm KTP laser, the general attitude was that the high absorption coefficients of the competing chromophores such as melanin would not allow the laser to penetrate to a sufficient depth to treat vascular conditions. Although this was disproved, the fact remains that […]

4.2.2.1 Vascular Lesions In the quest for better vessel treatments, the past twenty years has brought us nearly twenty separate types of light-based technology, all with varying degrees of success. In the case of treating facial vessels and telangiectasias, there has been no universally consistent system. Gold standards in the past few years have typically […]

4.2.1 Pulsed Dye Lasers 4.2.1.1 Vascular Lesions With the advances in theory and technology, new devices evolved for conditions that had typically been resistant to old technology. As systems began to utilize increasingly selective wavelengths, and improved safety measures, it became possible to selectively target a specific chromophore with minimal damage to the surrounding tissue. […]

4.1 Introduction The implementation of lasers in the cosmetic arena dates back almost to the beginning of lasers themselves. In 1960, Dr. Theodore Maimen demonstrated the first working of a ruby laser. Within a few years, Dr. Leon Goldman, a dermatologist at the University of Cincinnati, demonstrated some early applications using a ruby laser on […]

The appendix summarizes the EMR pulse parameters for the treatment of the basic targets exhibiting a high degree of symmetry, that is, the planar, cylindrical, and spherical ones. The notations and the basic parameters of the problem are explained in Table 3.A1 [59]. Table 3.A1 Variable Dimensionality Name Assumptions and Relations k 2 -1 cm[1] […]