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?
Category: Interesting stuff
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?
How well do you know lasers/IPLs in medical/aesthetic practice?
Why not try our quiz and test your knowledge? Click here for the quiz. All the answers will be in our new book which should released before the end of September… In the meantime, good luck. Ciao, Mike.
Laser-IPL Penetration Depth – a more useful definition
The ‘standard’ definition of penetration depth in skin only considers the incident wavelength and optical properties of the skin. While this may be useful from a physics perspective, it is not particularly useful when considering clinical treatments. A more useful definition must include wavelength, anisotropy, spot diameter and incident fluence. All of these have an… Continue reading Laser-IPL Penetration Depth – a more useful definition
Tattoo removed in just 4 sessions using a QS Nd:YAG at 1064nm
The following is an experiment I carried out to test a theory. A number of experiences had made me think that the time between laser sessions is more important than first thought. My clinical group first developed scar-free laser tattoo removal back in the 1980s in Canniesburn Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland. Back then, we were using… Continue reading Tattoo removed in just 4 sessions using a QS Nd:YAG at 1064nm
Calibrating an IPL device
How do you know what fluence or energy is coming out of your IPL unit? Some devices will have an on-board meter, but many don’t. In that case, you really should get it properly calibrated. You can only do this with an appropriate meter which should be able to measure both the fluence and the… Continue reading Calibrating an IPL device
Laser spot size – how it changes with distance from the target…
Most laser systems have a lens to focus the laser energy down to a sale spot diameter (see figure 1 below). However, in many systems, the focal point (where the spot diameter is the smallest) is outside the handpiece assembly. This has a potentially hazardous effect if not properly understood! The problem with this design… Continue reading Laser spot size – how it changes with distance from the target…
Carbon Facial treatment with a QS Nd:YAG laser
Recently I tried the new ‘carbon facial’ treatment using the 1064nm wavelength of the Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. My wife was keen to try it! I painted a little black carbon ink solution (which I made myself) onto my wife’s face. After about 20 minutes, or so, to allow it to dry, I applied the laser… Continue reading Carbon Facial treatment with a QS Nd:YAG laser
