Principles of Cutaneous Laser Therapy

Vishal Madan, Richard J. Barlow

Overview

Lasers and light‐based devices have become essential to the management of many dermatoses. Successful treatment is based on the selection of an appropriate device emitting the correct wavelength at a fluence sufficient to damage the target chromophore. In the skin the chromophores are haemoglobin, melanin and water, and this light–tissue interaction forms the basis of treatment. In this chapter, the reader will learn about laser–tissue interactions and indications for cutaneous laser treatments. Patient selection, pain control and complications of treatments are also discussed.
Keywords laser, pulsed dye, alexandrite, vascular, ablative, Q‐switched, Nd:YAG, carbon dioxide, flashlamp

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