TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Fundamentals of Laser and Light-Based Treatments A1 - Ibrahim, Omer A1 - Dover, Jeffrey S. A2 - Kang, Sewon A2 - Amagai, Masayuki A2 - Bruckner, Anna L. A2 - Enk, Alexander H. A2 - Margolis, David J. A2 - McMichael, Amy J. A2 - Orringer, Jeffrey S. PY - 2019 T2 - Fitzpatrick's Dermatology, 9e AB - AT-A-GLANCELasers and flashlamps harness the power of light to precisely treat a myriad of cutaneous disorders and conditions.Laser light is monochromatic, coherent, and collimated; whereas, intense pulsed light (IPL) is polychromatic, broadband, and divergent.Upon light’s impact with skin, several tissue interactions occur including reflection, transmission, scattering, and absorption.Laser parameters such as fluence, pulse duration, wavelength, and spot size can be adjusted to safely deliver energy to the skin to achieve desired therapeutic effects.In general, within the visible spectrum longer-wavelength light penetrates more deeply.Laser and light delivered though a larger spot size penetrates more deeply into tissue and is scattered less than with smaller spot sizes.Selective photothermolysis allows lasers and light sources to target specific chromophores in the skin to achieve certain effects while minimizing injury to surrounding structures.Fractional photothermolysis creates evenly distributed zones of microthermal injury in skin to produce columns of injury in the epidermis and dermis, leaving intervening columns of unaltered skin, thereby decreasing healing time and minimizing adverse effects.Knowledge of the potentially hazardous effects of lasers and flashlamps, and implementation of safety measures, are essential to maintain a safe environment for the practitioner, staff, and patient. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - dermatology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1161347467 ER -