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Laser surgery

Laser surgery is a type of surgery that uses a laser (in contrast to using a scalpel) to cut tissue.[1]

Not to be confused with laser hair removal.

Laser surgery

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Types of surgical lasers include carbon dioxide, argon, Nd:YAG laser, and potassium titanyl phosphate, among others.


Soft-tissue laser surgery is used in a variety of applications in humans (general surgery, neurosurgery, ENT, dentistry, orthodontics,[2] and oral and maxillofacial surgery) as well as veterinary[3] surgical fields. The primary uses of lasers in soft tissue surgery are to cut, ablate, vaporize, and coagulate. There are several different laser wavelengths used in soft tissue surgery. Different laser wavelengths and device settings (such as pulse duration and power) produce different effects on the tissue. Some commonly used lasers types in soft tissue surgery include erbium, diode, and CO2. Erbium lasers are excellent cutters, but provide minimal hemostasis. Diode lasers (hot tip) provide excellent hemostasis, but are slow cutters. CO2 lasers are both efficient at cutting and coagulating.[4] Laser surgery is commonly used on the eye. Techniques used include LASIK, which is used to correct near and far-sightedness in vision, and photorefractive keratectomy, a procedure which permanently reshapes the cornea using an excimer laser to remove a small amount of the human tissue.[5][6][7]

Applications[edit]

Dermatology and plastic surgery[edit]

A range of lasers such as erbium, dye, Q switch lasers, and CO2 are used to treat various skin conditions including scars, vascular and pigmented lesions, and for photorejuvenation. The laser surgery for dermatology often bypasses the skin surface. The principle of laser surgery for dermatologic problems is based on SPTL (selective photothermolysis). The laser beam penetrates the skin until it encounters chromophore which absorbs the laser beam. After absorption of the laser beam, heat is generated to induce coagulation, necrosis of the targeted tissue, this results in the removal of unwanted tissue by laser surgery.


Laser resurfacing is a technique in which covalent bonds of a material are dissolved by a laser, a technique invented by aesthetic plastic surgeon Thomas L. Roberts, III using CO2 lasers in the 1990s.[10][11]


Lasers are also used for laser-assisted lipectomy.[12]