Page 204 - Chapter 3 - Laser/IPL Hair Removal

Laser Diode Power
Chapter 3 – Fundamentals of Laser/IPL Hair Removal 2nd Edition
Figure 110 – Diode lasers are essentially electronic devices. See ‘www.explainthatstuff.com’ for more info
Diode laser suppliers often quote ‘power’ when trying to sell their equipment. They know, of course, that most people don’t have a clue about what they actually mean!!
Power
Power is essentially how quickly, or how slowly, energy is delivered. Remember, ENERGY is the most important issue when treating hair, tattoos, blood vessels, pigmentation etc. Energy drives everything!! In the entire universe...
There are two ‘powers’ to consider:
Optical power
Electrical power
This is the actual power of the light being delivered by the laser. This is the power that is important in treatments.
The electrical power is the power which the device must draw from the wall socket it is plugged into. It is of no real concern to users.
When light energy is delivered into the skin, some of it is absorbed by atoms and molecules and
this generates heat energy. The local temperature then rises – it gets hot!
________________________________________________________________________ 204 Chapter 3, Ed. 2.0 Laser/IPL Hair Removal
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