What Practitioners Should Know about Diode Lasers
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Practitioners are always looking for novel ways to attract new clients, expand their services, and grow their practices – this is especially true for those offering aesthetic services. Many practitioners are turning to diode lasers for hair removal and fat reduction.

Diode lasers harness the power of light energy to trigger certain processes within the body. Many of these processes provide beneficial aesthetic results quickly, reliably, safely, and inexpensively. Diode lasers are also versatile, in that they use variable wavelengths that allow practitioners to offer a wide variety of highly sought-after treatments, including hair removal and fat reduction.

Aesthetic Laser Technology Has Come a Long Way

Laser hair removal technology has undergone many improvements since Theodore H. Maiman shined a light through a ruby cylinder to create the world’s first laser in 1960. The “father of lasers in medicine,” Dr. Leon Goldman, was the first to use lasers in dermatology.

Early laser treatments for hair removal were less than optimal – treatments were slow and painful, and only worked well on people with dark hair and fair skin. What’s more, the first laser treatments removed hair but the results were not permanent, so the hair eventually grew back.

Fortunately, the lasers of today are vastly better than older versions, in that they are more comfortable, safer, and can provide permanent results. They also work on all skin tones and hair colors.

Diode Lasers Offer Great Versatility

Diode lasers offer a low cost of ownership, a wide choice of wavelengths and power, reliability, and packaging that is both compact and rugged. They are the next generation in dermatology care. These lasers use a special type of semiconductor chips that convert electrical energy directly into laser light.

Conductors are substances that conduct electricity, of course, and insulators are materials that do not conduct electricity. Semiconductors fall somewhere in between the two, so it does not allow the free flow of electricity that might harm tissue, nor does it repel electricity completely – and this allows for great versatility and control when it comes to medical devices.

Dermatologists and other practitioners embrace diode lasers for hair removal because it allows them to selectively target a specific body part and effectively remove hair without harming the skin around the hair follicles.

How Diode Lasers Work for Hair Removal

Using a process known as selective photothermolysis, diode lasers emit a beam of light that is readily absorbed by the melanin that gives hair its pigment. The energy of the laser is concentrated in the hair shaft. The light energy is converted into heat that damages the hair follicle. This damage inhibits or delays future hair growth. Repeat treatments improve the hair removal effects.

Today’s diode lasers combine precision and performance to make treatments easier, faster, and more comfortable, which makes the treatments more popular. Diode lasers offer variable pulse intensity and duration that makes hair removal treatment safer for patients with darker skin and reduces the risk of side effects, such as hyperpigmentation and post-procedural inflammation.

As proof of their efficiency, diode lasers held the largest share – an eye-popping 35% – of the $798.6 million global laser hair removal revenue in 2021, according to Grand View Research.

The technology owes its success to the high precision it offers, which allows practitioners to selectively target a body part and effectively remove hair without harming nearby skin. Diode laser hair removal is also quick and capable of removing a large volume of hair in a short amount of time.

Diode Lasers Are Also Effective for Fat Reduction

Diode lasers are highly effective for lipolysis. The diode laser device emits 1064 nm wavelength light that passes through the skin and is easily absorbed by the layer of adipose tissue below. Exposure to this wavelength causes the targeted fat cells to release triglycerides, resulting in shrinkage of some cells and complete destruction of others. The lymphatic system processes and expels the leftover cellular debris.

Related article: What Is an Alexandrite Laser and What Are the Best Applications?

For more information on the many benefits, diode lasers can have for your practice, consult with your laser professionals at Laser Service Solutions. We are the leading provider of aesthetic solutions and are dedicated to providing affordable access to the latest technology, technical repair services, and custom-manufactured laser parts to physicians across the country.

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