I started in medical laser clinical research in 1986 as part of my Ph.D. studies in the Bioengineering Unit, Strathclyde University and in Canniesburn Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit. After gaining my degree in Physics and Astronomy from Glasgow University in 1984, I decided not to get a ‘proper job’ for a few more years,… Continue reading My history in lasers and IPLs and other stuff…
New training web site
I’ve just launched a new training web site at DermaLaseTraining.com. It includes all the courses I can deliver plus a new shop where I will be selling some items which you may find useful. If you think I should include anything else in this new site please let me know. Likewise, if you find any… Continue reading New training web site
New Book – Medical/Aesthetic Lasers & IPLs and Skin Treatments
I have been asked many times in the last few years for a recommendation for an introductory book describing the application of lasers and IPLs in aesthetic treatments. My answer was always the same – “There isn’t one!!” So, I finally took the plunge and decided to write one, with my colleague PA Torstensson. The… Continue reading New Book – Medical/Aesthetic Lasers & IPLs and Skin Treatments
My history in lasers, IPLs and rock ‘n’ roll…
A brief history of my life in medical lasers and IPLs…
COVID-19 and Risk Analysis
Please note that this article was written BEFORE any vaccine was made available. As a Laser Protection Adviser I carry our Risk Analyses routinely, so I’m not too bad at doing them. So I thought I’d discuss how to analyse a situation in the current pandemic. Risk Analysis is a set of tasks that must… Continue reading COVID-19 and Risk Analysis
My research in pain relief and wound healing
In 2004 I started to research pain relief using sequences of electronic impulses. The technology was developed by an Italian engineer over a 30 year period. He had discovered a way to stimulate responses in tissues by inputting a sequence of electronic impulses while varying their amplitude, frequency and durations. I saw a direct relation… Continue reading My research in pain relief and wound healing
The world’s first promo video for a Q-switched tattoo removal laser
I found an old promo video which we made back in 1991 when we launched the world’s first Q-switched ruby laser for tattoo removal. This came after ten years’ clinical research in Canniesburn Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Glasgow and Strathclyde University, Glasgow. We launched the DLR-1 Ruby Laser at an ASLMS meeting in San… Continue reading The world’s first promo video for a Q-switched tattoo removal laser
The Hair Growth Cycle & Laser/IPL Treatments. When is the ‘best’ time to treat?
Hair grows in a well-known cycle – anagen, catagen and telogen. The ‘active’ growing phase is anagen – during this phase the hair follicle will begin to grow from a single stem cell. The duration of this phase depends on the body location and can range from a few weeks to several years! However, these… Continue reading The Hair Growth Cycle & Laser/IPL Treatments. When is the ‘best’ time to treat?
Why do so many laser/IPL hair removal treatments fail?
Laser/IPL hair removal has been around since the dinosaurs…. Yet, it is still poorly understood and even more poorly delivered! We have read all sorts of nonsense about this topic on the internet. There appears to be a lot of ‘mythconceptions’ out there, which just keep doing the rounds. So, let’s drill down on this.… Continue reading Why do so many laser/IPL hair removal treatments fail?
A ‘Brief Guide’ to some of the more important terms used in medical/aesthetic laser/IPL treatments
We have written a ‘Brief Guide’ to the terms and expression typically used in laser/IPL treatments in our ‘sister’ blog over at ‘The Laser-IPL Guys’ page. Click here to see this post. Ciao for now, Mike.
Back-scattered light from the skin is much more than we think…
My Letter describing back-scattered laser radiation from the skin has been published in the ‘open market’ by Springer! I’m very pleased that they have done this. However, I am now thinking that the levels of back-scattered light are higher than I first thought. The is coming from new work I have been doing looking at… Continue reading Back-scattered light from the skin is much more than we think…
What is it like to ‘sit’ on a photon and be fired into the skin?
Let’s take a ride on a photon. Imagine we can sit on a photon. What would a trip into the skin be like? Well, it might be something like this…. As we leave the laser we will be travelling at nearly the speed of light – that is 30 million kilometres per second! However, as… Continue reading What is it like to ‘sit’ on a photon and be fired into the skin?
