Page 3 - LASERS & IPLS IN MEDICAL/AESTHETIC APPLICATIONS

This book.....
Chapter 1 – Fundamentals of Medical/Aesthetic Lasers and IPLs v1.1
We wrote this book after many years of training (more than 50 between us and counting) people in the theory and use of medical/aesthetic lasers and IPLs across the world. Many times, we were asked for ‘a book’ to refer to by trainees. We had to keep saying – “one doesn’t exist”. There are plenty of good medical texts, but these are aimed at medical professionals. There are also a lot of good physics and engineering books – but these are useless for most laser users.
So, in the ‘crazy year’ of 2020 we decided to finally write it...
This book describes some of the basic fundamentals of light energy, lasers and IPL systems, in “layman’s” terms. We explain the jargon and some of the more important concepts, which really should be well understood before firing laser/IPL energy at real, living people (if you want them to remain alive and well!!)
We will also introduce the reader to the joys of light-tissue interactions. By understanding some of these principles you will be better able to diagnose and treat your patients/clients.
This book is split into three ‘Levels’:
Level A
This is an ‘introductory’ level for anyone new to this field. However, it is also very useful for ‘old-timers’ as a refresher course. It covers the basics of the terminology used in laser/IPL treatments, an introduction to light-tissue interactions, an introduction to a number of treatments and information on laser/IPL safety and Standards and current regulations. These will be in Chapters 1 to 4.
Level B
In Level B we discuss, in much more detail, applications of lasers and IPLs on a range of skin conditions including the removal of hair, blood vessels, benign pigmentation, tattoos, acne, fine lines/wrinkles, unwanted growths and skin rejuvenation.
In this Level we will look at the various technologies available today in relation to the above treatments.
This will be in Chapter 5.
Level C
This Level goes into the physics and biology in much more details. Here, we will discuss tissue denaturation and its dependence on time and temperature via the Arrhenius Equation, thermal relaxation times, how light propagates in skin tissues and some other juicy stuff...
This will be in Chapter 6.
We use ‘Quizzes’ to allow you to test yourself, at various stages. We encourage you to do this as a way to find out if you really understand what you’ve (hopefully) learned.
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Chapter 1 LEVEL A Fundamentals of Lasers/IPLs
© The Laser-IPL Guys 2021