The Uses of Long-Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser in Dermatology
The Nd:YAG wavelength is a common wavelength used in dermatology. While many may think of it first as a laser for hair removal, it has, in fact, many uses in dermatology owing to its unique position of being absorbed by all three main skin chromophores: haemoglobin, water, and melanin.
In an article published in the latest issue of PRIME Journal, Firas Al-Niaimi, MSc, MRCP, EBDV, discusses the many uses for the long-pulsed Nd:YAG outside of hair removal. He details the evidence for the laser's use in a range of treatments, such as port-wine stains, haemangiomas, scars, warts, acne rosacea and more.
The article also looks at its use for skin rejuvenation. A laser's effects on the skin depend partly on the pulse duration, which can range from a millisecond down to the ultrashort pulse duration in the picosecond domain. The long-pulsed Nd:YAG is in the microsecond and millisecond range. The absorption by water is particularly enhanced in the short microsecond wavelength, and with a high repetition rate there can be a build-up of heat in the skin that may eventually, with repeated treatments, lead to rejuvenation with texture improvement, pore tightening, tissue firming, and skin rejuvenation.
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