Electronics Knowhow

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This most obvious difference between green and red lasers is the wavelength of the beam. Green lasers have a wavelength between 560nm and 490nm with 532nm being the wavelength used for almost every laser. Some green lasers will have a wavelength of 526.5nm and green lasers can be made with other wavelengths such as 515nm, 523.5nm and 543nm. The wavelength for red lasers ranges from 700nm to 630nm with the most common wavelengths being 635nm, 655nm and 671nm.

The process used to create the laser beam in green lasers is very different from the process in red lasers. Red lasers are the simplest and the laser module (the section producing the beam) is just a diode and a lens. Green lasers on the other hand are much more complex and use a diode and a series of crystals and lens in a process called frequency doubling to produce a green beam.

In a red laser, the laser diode gives out red light. There are no commonly available diodes that give out green light so green lasers use a diode that gives out 808nm light. The 808nm is then converted to 1064nm by a crystal. The 1064nm light is then changed again, this time to 532nm.

The human eye is much more sensitive to green light than red light with estimates on sensitivity ranging from 10 times more sensitive to 50 times more sensitive. The higher sensitivity of the human eye to green means that green lasers are much brighter than red lasers and more suitable than red lasers for many applications such as pointing, alignment and astronomy. Green is normally the color of choice for general purpose lasers with red normally only used for research, laser shows and specific industrial applications.

Colored lasers, often called RGB lasers, are made using a blue laser, a red laser and a green laser. Due to the different brightness of red lasers to green lasers and even blue lasers, different ratios of power are need for red, blue and green are to produce a balanced white light. Using 635nm red light, the common power ratio for the three different colors is 3 red to 2 blue to 1 green.

Green and red laser light have different physical properties which not only effects their application, the different also effects the laser safety glasses that are worn. The laser safety glasses that protect against green laser beams are different from the laser safety glasses that protect against red laser beams. It is critical to the safety of your eyes to make sure that the laser safety glasses you wear match the color of the laser you are using.

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Understanding Hair Removal

Not to long ago the primary methods for removing unwanted hair included plucking, shaving, waxing or chemical depilatories. Some of these are painful, some are totally messy and all of them are temporary. There is now an added danger of getting a staph infection from shaving. Women especially have been prone to contracting Staph A or MRSA from accidentally nicking themselves during shaving. For long-term hair removal, electrolysis was popular and effective, however it is a time consuming procedure. It can be painful and is useful only in removing hair in small areas such as the chin. During electrolysis, an electric current passes through a needle to destroy each individual hair root. It typically takes months and numerous returning visits to clear even small areas like the upper lip. Laser hair removal is much quicker and a more effective solution. The safest and most effective laser hair removal uses a diode laser. It is a state-of-the-art system specially designed to remove unwanted hair faster, with less discomfort and more reliably than other methods.

Diode lasers are precise instruments that can be adjusted to the exact parameters needed to disable the hair follicle. Unlike painful hair-by-hair treatments such as electrolysis, laser technology uses a wide light beam that treats a larger area more comfortably, providing longer lasting results than waxing, depilatory creams and other temporary methods.

Laser Hair Removal is at the forefront of providing long lasting results and relief for those with excess, hormonal or unwanted hair and now, the new technology available enables us to treat both men and women regardless of hair color and skin type.

Laser Hair Removal is now the #1 non-invasive aesthetics treatment available today. While there are many methods to eliminate unwanted hair, very few can eliminate hair regrowth while leaving the surrounding skin undamaged. Lasers and light sources use the principle of selective photothermolysis to eliminate hair and its regrowth without harming the surrounding skin. During a laser hair removal treatment light passes through the skin and is absorbed by the melanin in the hair shaft. This light absorption raises the temperature of the hair follicle and thermally destroys the cells responsible for regrowth.

Key advantages for patients

Comfortable treatment with little to no irritation
Effective permanent reduction of hair
Little to no chance of side effects

There is a better solution than plucking, shaving, creams or electrolysis for removing unwanted hair!

You may be surprised to learn that virtually your entire body is covered with hair. Because most of this hair is fine & very pale, it usually is not visible to the naked eye. But when darker, coarser hair appears in places which make you feel uncomfortable – like on the face, neck, abdomen, breasts, legs or underarms in women or on the shoulders, chest & back in men, it may be time to consider hair removal with a diode laser.

How Does Laser Hair Removal Work? A diode laser produces a beam of highly concentrated light. The light emitted by the diode laser is easily absorbed by the pigment located in the hair follicles. During the hair removal procedure, the laser pulses for a fraction of a second, long enough to heat up the hair and significantly impede the follicle´s ability to re-grow. The process treats multiple hair follicles simultaneously. Therefore the laser hair removal process is appropriate for treating even the largest areas of the body (back, chest, and legs) quickly and effectively.

A comforting part of the procedure is the cooling of the skin. A special contact cooling hand piece allows your physician to treat even the most sensitive skin, including ethnic & tanned skin. It protects and cools the upper layer of the skin before, during & after each laser pulse while directing the laser energy to the hair root.

What You Can Expect

The length of a laser treatment can last from a few minutes to an hour or more, depending on the size of the area being treated. The hair most effected by the treatment are in their active phase called anagen. Because all hairs are not in this phase at the same time, more than one treatment will likely be necessary to achieve complete hair removal and the best overall result.

The laser treatment may cause some discomfort. Most patients tolerate the procedure very well. However, because some areas of the body are more sensitive, topical anesthesia is an available option.

Depending on the extent of the procedure and skin type, the appearance of the treated area immediately following treatment will vary from person to person. Side effects, if any, are minor and may include redness and swelling around the hair follicle. This is the desired clinical result and indicates that the follicle has properly responded to treatment. Most people return to their normal routine right away and the slight redness disappears with a day.