Category: Interesting stuff

Tattoo ink colours – which laser wavelength is “best”?

Posted in Interesting stuffLeave a comment

This thorny issue again! I was training someone recently and discussed the data in the table below. This comes from my calculations (click here for more on this) based on previous clinical studies. While discussing this table, I realised something interesting. As I’ve mentioned previously, any tattoo ink colour can be ‘treated’ by any wavelength.… Continue reading Tattoo ink colours – which laser wavelength is “best”?

Laser Hair Removal – Dodgy practices and con-artists…

Posted in Interesting stuff4 Comments

I don’t usually write this sort of thing, but I feel I must… In the last few years I have heard consistent stories about some salons/clinics in the UK offering deals on laser hair removal, with very poor, or non-existent, clinical results. One of my daughter’s friends experienced this recently. These centres appear to be… Continue reading Laser Hair Removal – Dodgy practices and con-artists…

Laser fluence and skin colour – how do we choose the correct fluence for the removal of hair, vessels etc?

Posted in Interesting stuffLeave a comment

To answer this question, we need to understand what is going on in the skin… When light (any type) enters the skin, it encounters atoms and molecules – lots of them! As a direct consequence, the photons are scattered – their directions change. Some of them are scattered so much that they leave the skin… Continue reading Laser fluence and skin colour – how do we choose the correct fluence for the removal of hair, vessels etc?

Why are Nd:YAG and Alexandrite lasers ‘easier’ to use in hair removal?

Posted in Interesting stuffLeave a comment

In hair removal procedures, most long-pulsed Nd:YAG and Alexandrites lasers typically use short pulsewidths – usually less than 10ms, often less than 5ms. They can deliver all of their energy within these short pulses, whereas diode lasers and IPLs typically use longer pulses.  Such short pulses induce higher temperatures in the absorbing targets in the skin,… Continue reading Why are Nd:YAG and Alexandrite lasers ‘easier’ to use in hair removal?

What exactly is “calibration” and why is it so important in laser/IPL treatments?

Posted in Interesting stuffLeave a comment

What is ‘calibration’ exactly and why is it so important? Imagine you’re driving along the road and your speedometer is not working properly. You look at it and it claims you’re moving along at 30 mph. But you notice that everyone else is driving past you and you seem to be going too slowly… This… Continue reading What exactly is “calibration” and why is it so important in laser/IPL treatments?

I’ve known for a long time that black and white are not ‘colours’. But I didn’t know that purple is also not a colour…

Posted in Interesting stuff1 Comment

In physics we define ‘colour’ by its wavelength. But there are colours which do not have a wavelength – black and white are the obvious ones. Black is when there is no light at all, and white is when all the colours in the spectrum ‘combine’ together into one beam of light. But, I recently… Continue reading I’ve known for a long time that black and white are not ‘colours’. But I didn’t know that purple is also not a colour…

Laser Diode powers – What does it all mean?

Posted in Interesting stuff4 Comments

Diode laser suppliers often quote ‘power’ when trying to sell their equipment. They know, of course, that most people don’t have a clue about what they actually mean!! I wrote about this before (link) but here I go again… Power Power is essentially how quickly, or how slowly, energy is delivered. Remember, ENERGY is the… Continue reading Laser Diode powers – What does it all mean?