It is an acronym from the words Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
Its origins date back to the study of astronomical spectroscopy, in other words, to watch the stars and measure the different light frequencies that they emit. This allowed scientists to know that some bodies emit radiations to different frequencies, some of them higher than others.
Einstein explained that light consisted of photons, which are wave and energy groups. He also proved that, depending on the speed of the photons, the color of the light turned more blue when the frequency was enhanced and that its energy also increased.
In 1954, Townes invented a device that could direct microwaves in a straight line. Years later, Maiman achieved to do the same by conducting a beam through a ruby, and that is where the laser we know nowadays came from.
We can say, in simple words, that the laser is like a lightbulb that, instead of dispersing light in all directions, concentrates it in just one point.
How is laser energy obtained?
It is obtained by electric stimulation in a tube or resonator (for instance, CO₂, Erbium, Diode, etc.), which, when being electrically stimulated, generate a series of photons that are continuously reflected to be amplified, thus being conducted through a series or articulated arms with mirrors that reflect the photons, or through optic fiber, according to the type of laser and the amplification for which it is used.
Types of Laser in Medicine
Some of the laser beams that are used in medicine are:
- CO₂ lasers
- YAG lasers
- Holmium lasers
- Argon lasers
- Diode lasers
- Erbium lasers
All of them determine structural alterations in the tissue thanks to their thermal effect. CO₂ and Erbium Yag lasers are the most used in the lower genital tract pathology.
Is it an affordable method?
Yes, it is. Laser is a method that is accessible to all public, and its performance, in most cases, is ambulatory; it means, without the need for hospitalization. Moreover, the benefits it brings when compared to other conventional methods, and its low percentage of relapses make laser the best choice in the aforementioned cases.
Advantages of Using Laser
Some of the advantages that using laser brings upon patients in the pathologies presented in the female lower genital tract, are as follows:
- Low blood loss
- Good aesthetic results
- Low inflammatory response
- Less residual fibrosis
- Better and quicker healing
- Anatomic and functional preservation, with no damage on the nearby tissues.
- Precision in the tissue cuts
- Possibility of surgery in anatomically restricted areas or places where classical instruments cannot reach
- Possibility of surgery on infected tissues, given the laser’s sterilizing property
- Lack of swelling or tissue edema due to the concealment of low width blood and lymphatic vessels
