Author: Mike Murphy

I started in medical lasers in 1986! I have been involved in clinical research, medical laser and IPL development, sales and marketing across Europe and South East Asia, business start-ups, theoretical research into laser-tissue interactions, training course development, writing articles for peer-reviewed journals and industry magazines. I am currently the Chairman of the Association of Laser Safety Professionals.

2nd edition of our Laser/IPL Hair Removal book now available, free, online

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Following an extensive re-write and update, I am very pleased to announce the release of the 2nd edition of our book on laser/IPL hair removal. It is available here – free of charge (in a redacted form!!) – https://online.flipbuilder.com/rbhw/tlkc/mobile/index.html. Or you can open it with the QR code below. In the rewrite, we have added… Continue reading 2nd edition of our Laser/IPL Hair Removal book now available, free, online

Pulsewidths, thermal relaxation times and ‘cooking’ times in photothermal treatments

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After my previous post, several people asked me to explain more about pulsewidths and thermal relaxation times, and how they relate to each other. The truth is, they are all unrelated!! They are intertwined, but not directly related. I thought it might be best to describe them using a bunch of graphs. So, I made… Continue reading Pulsewidths, thermal relaxation times and ‘cooking’ times in photothermal treatments

Fluence, pulsewidths, temperatures and cellular denaturation

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This topic is very poorly understood. How does fluence and pulsewidth relate to cellular denaturation – or, ‘cooking’ of the cells. I’m going to portray this in a series of graphs – I hope this works… When we fire light energy into the skin, we can generate some heating, if there is something in there… Continue reading Fluence, pulsewidths, temperatures and cellular denaturation

Hair removal – how does fluence relate to depth?

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We all know that light energy can kill hair follicles. It has been around since about 1996. But, many people still don’t understand the relationship between fluence and depth in the skin. Let’s begin with fluence – what is it? Simply put, fluence is just the concentration of light energy on the skin surface. If… Continue reading Hair removal – how does fluence relate to depth?

“Synchronised hair growth” – Yes – it is real!

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This issue keeps appearing in online forums. Many laser/IPL operators talk about ‘lots of hair growth’ usually after a few sessions. So, I investigated this with my computer model. I had developed this model a few years ago to look at the ‘best’ time intervals between repeat treatments. Last year, while researching laser/IPL treatment of… Continue reading “Synchronised hair growth” – Yes – it is real!

Neatcell “Picosecond Laser Pen” – Update

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I have just been alerted to a new government warning about this device. I wrote about it last year (April 2024) pointing out that I thought it was not what they claimed and also potentially dangerous. You can find that post here – https://mikemurphyblog.com/2024/04/08/testing-the-neatcell-picosecond-laser-pen-device/ Well, a colleague alerted me to the fact that the UK… Continue reading Neatcell “Picosecond Laser Pen” – Update

How does fluence change in the skin and why can this stop good results when treating hair, tattoos or blood vessels?

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The way light moves through the skin is quite complex. When photons ‘meet’ atoms they can either be absorbed, scattered or completely ignored. This may happen many millions of times, or, sometimes, only once! The effect these events have on the fluence (energy concentration) can be quite marked. In this video I explain what can… Continue reading How does fluence change in the skin and why can this stop good results when treating hair, tattoos or blood vessels?

Association of Laser Safety Professionals – new Chairman

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We held our AGM on Decemebr 11th and I was elected as the new Chairman of our Association. The Association of Laser Safety Professionals (ALSP) is a professional society of laser safety experts actively engaged in providing advice, support and training in laser safety, and covers all applications of laser technology. The primary aims of… Continue reading Association of Laser Safety Professionals – new Chairman