Laser

From physics to clinical application on the skin:

Selective photothermolysis, thermal relaxation time

The major advance in laser treatment lies in the physical principle of "selective photothermolysis". Certain target pigments (e.g. haemoglobin, melanin) absorb certain wavelengths of light. The light energy is converted into heat energy.

The thermal conduction is spatially limited due to the shortness of the pulse duration. Due to short pulse times, it is possible to destroy only the target structure to be removed. Then the body breaks down obliterated veins, hair follicles or pigment cells. Depending on the wavelength or type of laser, light can penetrate through the skin or remove the skin layers. In this way, laser light can specifically obliterate or destroy vessels, pigments and hair roots, or remove or smooth skin layers, warts, scars and wrinkles.

Today, the following medical and cosmetic skin changes are treated with laser light:

• Vascular changes, veins and port-wine stains (nevi flammei and hemangiomas)
• Veins and couperose
• Spider-angiomas, senile angiomas
• Spider vein veins
• Sun damage with vasodilation (e.g. erythrosis interfollicularis, poikiloderma civatte)
• unwanted or disturbing hair growth
• hormonally induced increased hair growth (hirsutism)
• bothersome or heavy hair (hypertrichosis)
• ingrown hairs with inflammation
• Pigment changes
• Age spots (back of hand, face)
• Cafe-au-lait spots
• Freckles
• Hyperpigmentation (e.g. after vein treatment) Wrinkles, scars, sagging skin
• Loss of elasticity of the skin
• Upper lip, forehead, cheek wrinkles
• Retracted scars, acne scars, hypertrophic scars