Page 8 - LASERS & IPLS IN MEDICAL/AESTHETIC APPLICATIONS

Chapter 1 – Fundamentals of Medical/Aesthetic Lasers and IPLs v1.1
Table of Contents
Our book in Chapters .............................................................................................................3
Introduction – Medical lasers & IPLs.....................................................................................10
Do you really understand lasers/IPLs?..................................................................................11
Quiz 1 – Do you need to read this book? ........................................................................................................... 11 Quiz 2 – Now you know more ............................................................................................................................ 12 How to buy a laser/IPL?...................................................................................................................................... 13 Laser/IPL treatment matrix – what can treat what? .......................................................................................... 14 Important questions to answer first................................................................................................................... 15
........................................................................................................................................... 18
Section 1.1 – Fundamentals of lasers/IPLs ............................................................................18
The Basic Physics of Lasers and IPLs..............................................................................................19
Laser Timeline..................................................................................................................................................... 20 Light and the Skin ............................................................................................................................................... 20 Wavelength – the Colour of Light....................................................................................................................... 21 Monochromatic and broadband light ................................................................................................................ 22 Filtered Light ....................................................................................................................................................... 23 The Colour of objects – Why is a blue object, blue? .......................................................................................... 23 The Electromagnetic Spectrum .......................................................................................................................... 24
Basic Laser Design ........................................................................................................................26
Spontaneous Emission........................................................................................................................................ 27 What makes a laser, a ‘laser’? ............................................................................................................................ 28 Monochromaticity .............................................................................................................................................. 28 Divergence (or Directionality) ............................................................................................................................ 29 Coherence........................................................................................................................................................... 30 What happens to laser light when it enters the skin? ....................................................................................... 31
IPL Systems – A Brief History ........................................................................................................32
IPLs – Professional vs Salon Systems .............................................................................................32
Professional IPL Systems .................................................................................................................................... 32 Salon IPL Systems ............................................................................................................................................... 33
IPLs – What are they?...................................................................................................................33
Basic IPL Design .................................................................................................................................................. 35 IPL vs Lasers in skin ............................................................................................................................................. 37 Home-use IPL Devices ........................................................................................................................................ 38
........................................................................................................................................... 40 Section 1.2 - Important Laser Terms You Really Should Know................................................40 Commonly Used Laser/IPL Terms .................................................................................................41
Wavelength .................................................................................................................................41
Fundamental Wavelengths................................................................................................................................. 42 Harmonics........................................................................................................................................................... 42 Frequency of Light .............................................................................................................................................. 43 Refraction – how it changes wavelengths in the skin ........................................................................................ 44
Energy & Energy Density (or ‘Fluence’) .........................................................................................45
Loss of Fluence in the Skin.................................................................................................................................. 47 Quick calculator for fluence ............................................................................................................................... 48
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Chapter 1 LEVEL A Fundamentals of Lasers/IPLs
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