The Centre, P.C. - Plastic Surgery Blog
The Centre, P.C. offers the latest plastic surgery procedures to patients in Elkhart and South Bend, Indiana, Michiana and the Southern Michigan area, and Chicago.
What is a Laser? Part 1 - Thursday, December 11, 2008
We use laser as a word now, but it was originally an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. All lasers are man-made lights, each made for a particular purpose. The first laser was made in 1958 at Bell Labs by two researchers working on microwaves and trying to see molecules more clearly. They also developed what we know as the maser, which gives off microwaves and radio waves. The first laser was demonstrated in 1960.Lasers are generated in a closed space using mirrors, lenses and an active ("lasing") medium. They are classified according to what lasing medium is used and some examples are:
* Solid state such ruby or yttrium-aluminum garnet (YAG)
* Gas such as helium or carbon dioxide. Excimer lasers, used in LASIK vision correction, use a mix of reactive and inert gases.
* Semiconductor such as silicon or germanium which has mild electrical conductivity. These are often called laser diodes.
Common Features of Lasers
There are many types of lasers, some so hot they can cut through a large block of steel, and others mild for medical treatments. Some are pulsed, beaming in a fast series of off-on sequences, and others are steady. Diameter of the light beam varies from the size of a room to less than a pinpoint.
However, most lasers have three things in common:
* They are all of one color, each one its own color. This is different from the familiar white color of sunshine, headlights, and flashlights, which actually contain all colors.
* Lasers are directional. They can be precisely focused, as opposed to those white lights which send their beams in every direction.
* Laser light is coherent, meaning that the photons are organized and move in step with each other, traveling in a parallel fashion.
Color and Wavelength
A laser's color is the same thing as its wavelength. Some lasers are visible but some are beyond our visible range and are infrared (below the red end) or ultraviolot (above the violet end).
Light and Heat
Light and heat are two aspects of the same energy. Light energy has heat, and heat energy has light. Lasers can have a great deal of both because they are "Light Amplification" In other words, when a laser is generated, it emerges from its closed container with a specific intensity of heat and light. Ultraviolet lasers are cooler and infrared lasers are hotter. When used for medical purposes, a laser can be cooled if necessary, so as to not cause any injury.
Laser Uses
Some examples will give an idea of the myriad purposes for which lasers have been created:
* Measuring the earth's crust movements along the San Andreas fault in California
* Cutting and welding iron and steel
* Vaporizing unwanted human tissue such as skin lesions
* Cauterizing blood vessels
* Measuring automobile damage after an accident
* Tracking the flow of pollutants in the atmosphere
* Measuring wind shear at airports
* Scanning bar codes in stores
* Reading information stored on videos and CDs
At The Center, P.C. we use lasers for many treatments. Part 2 of What is a Laser? will cover medical uses of lasers. Meanwhile, please contact our cosmetic surgery office if you would like to set up a personal consultation.
The Centre, P.C. is a unique plastic surgery practice located in northern Indiana. Our heartland values of compassion and concern for your particular needs are complemented by the professional expertise of our surgeons and staff.
At The Centre, P.C., we offer two tracks to patients in Elkhart and South Bend and throughout Indiana and southern Michiana. On the one side are our cosmetic surgery and skin care services and products. And on the other is a coordinated set of services – surgical as well as therapeutic – for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the hand, wrist and forearm due to illness or injury.
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Elkhart Office
RiverPointe Medical Building
500 Arcade Ave., Suite 300
Elkhart, IN 46514
Phone: 574-296-9100
FAX: 574-293-1511
South Bend Office
MEDICAL PAVILION I
720 EAST CEDAR STREET, SUITE 450
SOUTH BEND, IN 46617
PHONE: 574-233-9100
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1830 SOUTH 11TH STREET
Chesterton, IN 46304
Phone: 219-395-9200
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