Laser surgery involves shining a tight beam of light, called a laser beam, at the problem area and using the laser to burn or cut away the damaged or diseased tissue. Different types of lasers can be used to treat specific conditions, generally with less trauma and a faster recovery time than traditional surgery.
Lasers
A laser is a device that produces a concentrated beam of light that can be precisely aimed and used for cutting, cauterizing or vaporizing human tissue during surgery. The lasers used in laser surgery are capable of producing different wavelengths of light, which produce different colors, depending on the type of laser and specific surgical procedure. These lasers can also change from producing a solid light beam to producing pulses of light. Water and pigments in the skin can all absorb light and affect the operation of the laser.
Uses
Laser surgery is frequently used in cosmetic procedures, including scar and wrinkle removal, hair removal, acne treatment and the removal of warts or moles. In cancer patients, laser surgery can remove tumors in difficult places ,such as the brain, and can shut lymph vessels to prevent the spread of cancer cells in the body. Lasers can also be used to close off nerve endings and small blood vessels during surgery and may be used in conjunction with traditional surgical tools. Another popular procedure using lasers is surgery of the eye.
Types
Carbon dioxide lasers produce focused light for procedures requiring precise aim or unfocused light for treating general skin conditions. An argon laser uses blue-green laser light and is frequently used in the treatment of skin conditions involving blood vessels. An argon-pumped tunable dye laser creates different wavelengths of light, including blue-green, yellow and red, and can be adjusted to treat a wide variety of conditions.Yellow light is used for flashlamp-pumped pulse dye lasers, which allows for less scarring in procedures such as birthmark removal. Excimer lasers produce a specific wavelength, 308 nanometers, of UVB light to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis and to precisely remove bits of tissue in procedures such as laser eye surgery.
Advantages
Some major advantages of laser surgery over conventional surgery are that with laser surgery there is little to no blood loss and a lower chance of infection developing after the procedure, since it is completely sterile. The level of control the surgeon has with laser surgery is another advantage. Often laser surgery allows the patient to go home sooner after surgery, and recovery time tends to be shorter than after traditional surgery.
Risks
The risks of laser surgery tend to be lower than those of traditional surgery, but some problems may still occur. Bleeding, infection after the surgery and pain during or after laser treatment may all occur. Laser surgery may leave scars or may be unable to completely fix the problem being addressed. In some cosmetic laser surgeries, the color of the skin may change after the procedure.
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