What Can Laser Watch Therapy Do For You?
Laser therapy uses the energy of light to treat conditions in the skin and underlying tissues. It can cut or vaporize tissue and activate light-sensitive drugs. It can also heat and destroy cancer cells.
Before laser treatment, your doctor will perform a physical exam and review your medical history. You may be asked to avoid unprotected sun exposure up to two months before your procedure.
CO2 Laser
Laser therapy has become an integral part of treatment for many health issues. For example, LLLT (low level laser therapy) has been shown to improve blood flow by dilating blood vessels. This decreases resistance to blood flow, lowering blood pressure and optimizing delivery of oxygen and nutrients to cells and organs.
CO2 lasers use short, concentrated beams of light energy to vaporize the outer layers of skin, leaving new firmer skin in its place. This treatment is ideal for reducing fine lines, wrinkles and scarring, improving skin laxity/texture, and treating sun damage and brown spots. It also treats other conditions such as enlarged oil glands, warts and benign growths.
With the CO2 laser, a cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist will target the area to be treated and numb the skin as necessary with a local anesthetic. Depending on the intensity and size of the area being treated, this outpatient procedure can take 30 minutes to 2 hours.
The light energy from the CO2 laser passes through the epidermis, or top layer of the skin, and is absorbed by water molecules in the tissue below. This causes the skin to heat up and vaporize, while stimulating collagen production that leads to firmer, smoother skin.
A CO2 laser can be used for a variety of aesthetic enhancements, including skin rejuvenation and treating sun damage, brown spots, fine lines and wrinkles, aging-related sagging of the skin, scarring, and other benign growths. It can be employed by itself or in conjunction with other surgical modalities such as facelifts and blepharoplasty.
CO2 lasers can be used in all Fitzpatrick skin types, although patients with darker skin may need careful adjustment of the treatment parameters. For optimal results, it is recommended that the patient undergo a series of treatments.
Non-ablative laser treatments, like the erbium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser, have been shown to improve symptoms of SUI by promoting vasodilation. This widening of the blood vessels decreases resistance to blood flow, easing the workload on the heart and lowering blood pressure. This effect can be seen on urodynamic monitoring as well as subjective and objective measurement tools. Ogrinc et al. [17] reported a positive trend for improved SUI symptoms following fractional/scanning-CO2 laser treatment that lasted 6-12 months.
Nd:YAG Laser
Nd:YAG lasers use a special light to make precise cuts without damaging surrounding tissue. They can also activate photosensitizing drugs during photodynamic therapy, which combines light with chemotherapy to kill more cancer cells. These lasers can also be used to destroy small blood vessels, such as those that form spider veins or hemangiomas.
The Nd:YAG laser is named after its active medium, Neodymium yttrium-aluminum-garnet. The laser emits a short pulse of energy with a very precise spot size. The laser beam can be directed at the skin or deeper into the tissue depending on the procedure. Laser treatment can reduce the appearance of scars, and it can improve wrinkles and texture in the skin. It can also remove pigmentation, such as age spots or freckles, and it can help treat psoriasis.
Dermatologists and plastic surgeons use Nd:YAG lasers to make shallow cuts during facial peels, skin resurfacing procedures and surgery to remove warts and moles. It can also be used to treat acne and rosacea. Nd:YAG lasers can also destroy the bacteria that cause blemishes in patients with keratoconus, a condition that causes scarring of the cornea and corneal nerves.
Nd:YAG lasers can be used to treat a variety of eye conditions, including glaucoma. They can be used to treat a condition called narrow-angle glaucoma by removing part of the iris to increase the pressure inside the eye. They can also be used to treat a condition called pterygium, which is a bump on the outside of the eye that can interfere with vision.
Another use for Nd:YAG lasers is to prevent or delay recurrence of hypertrophic and keloid scars. Studies have found that long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser treatment can prevent these scars from forming, and they can also reduce the redness and induration associated with them.
Laser treatments can cause a temporary rise in intraocular pressure (IOP). The risk of this is reduced by using prophylactic antiglaucoma drops before and after laser treatment. However, even with this precaution, the incidence of IOP elevation is relatively high. Most of the time, this is a transient condition that resolves quickly.
Argon Laser
The Argon Laser uses argon, krypton or xenon as the working gas. Its continuous wave output ranges from several watts to tens of watts and produces multiple wavelengths. This laser is used primarily in ophthalmologic surgery and to treat retinal lesions caused by diabetes, membranes or retinal breaks. It is also used in the treatment of glaucoma and to eliminate port wine stains and hemangiomas. Its tissue penetration is about 0.5 to 2 mm. This type of laser is also utilized in dermatological and plastic surgery.
The argon laser is very expensive to operate because the argon gas must be continuously supplied through the tube at high pressures. This is in contrast to the He-Ne laser which operates from a low pressure and a standard power supply. In addition to this, argon has a lower energy efficiency than He-Ne.
An argon laser works by generating intense heat in its cathode. This creates the plasma that is responsible for lasing. This plasma is composed of ions of argon. This creates a blue light that is absorbed by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). This results in photocoagulation, which cauterizes tissue to stop bleeding.
A small air-cooled argon laser tube resembles an overgrown He-Ne tube and has a large number of cooling fins. The entire tube is surrounded by a thick coating of ceramic to take the intense heat produced in the discharge and is cooled by a very high volume of air that is blown past the tube. Failure to provide this flow of air can cause a catastrophic tube failure!
During a retinal argon laser treatment, you will have anesthetic eye drops put in before your doctor starts the procedure. After numbing the eye, your doctor will direct the beam of light onto the retina using the lens in the device. You will hear clicking sounds and see bright flashes of light during the procedure. The procedure takes between 10-45 minutes. In many cases, your doctor may use the argon laser to prevent the leakage of blood vessels in the back of the eye called macular degeneration. This condition occurs when weak blood vessels on the retina develop and bleed. This can lead to vision loss in the center of the eye. This procedure is very effective in reducing the occurrence of these leaks and has been shown to be a significant factor in decreasing the incidence of severe vision loss from macular degeneration.
Other Lasers
Lasers are being used in a wide variety of treatments. They can help patients with back pain and joint problems, and they can also help with eye issues. They can even help to reduce wrinkles. Using the same type of energy that is created when muscles are worked out, the laser can cause small tears in the tissue, which then leads to the body creating new muscle fibers. The results can look like fine lines and wrinkles have been erased, according to Rachel Nazarian of the Cleveland Clinic. This type of laser therapy is also being used to help people who have had heart attacks. It can help reduce the scarring that occurs when the heart is injured by not getting enough blood, and it can make it easier for the body to heal after a cardiac event.
One of the most promising uses for the laser is to treat hypertension, or high blood pressure. This condition is a serious health issue that can lead to many different problems, including cardiovascular disease and kidney failure. Several studies have shown that the use of the laser can help to reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
The laser can be used to treat a variety of conditions by using a process called low-level laser therapy. This process involves using the laser to penetrate the skin and interact with cells in the body. This causes a series of biochemical reactions that can improve cell function and promote healing. It can also help to reduce the level of oxidative stress that is created in the body.
Laser watch therapy can be used to treat a variety of other conditions, including arthritis and asthma. It can also be used to treat the symptoms of diabetes by reducing inflammation and regulating blood sugar levels. This treatment can also help to reduce the amount of medication that is required for these conditions. It is important to talk to a doctor before starting this type of treatment, because some medications can interact with the laser and cause side effects. Some people may experience a mild burning sensation during the treatment.
