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Hot & Cold Lasers
Lasers are of two principal types, "hot" and "cold", and they are distinguished by the amount of peak power they deliver. "Hot" lasers deliver power up to thousands of watts. They are used in surgery because they can make an incision that is very clean with little or no bleeding and because the laser cauterizes the incision as it cuts. They are also used in surgery that requires the removal of unhealthy tissue without damaging the healthy tissue that surrounds it.
"Cold" lasers produce a lower average power of 100 milliwatts or less. This is the type of laser that is used for therapeutic purposes and it is typically, although not always, pulsed. The light is actually on for only a fraction of a second because it is pulsed (turned on and off) at so many pulses per second. Pulsation results in an average power output that is very low compared to the maximum or peak output. Hence, most therapeutic lasers produce a high peak but low average power output. Therapeutic laser light is generally either visible (red, in most cases) or invisible (infrared).
However, most therapeutic lasers operate at 890nm to 904 nm that is an infrared light.
How does Laser Therapy Work?
The effects of LLLT are photochemical and not thermal. Energy is transfer in the the form of photons. Photons are transmitted through the skin's layers (the dermis, epidermis and the subcutaneous tissue or tissue fat under the skin), light waves in the near infrared ranges penetrate the deepest of all light waves in the visible spectrum ( main reasons Leimo uses near infra red 890 nm).
Photons enter the tissue and are absorbed in the Mitochondria and at the cell membrane. The photon energy is converted to chemical energy within the cell, in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). LED in the red and low level laser in the near infrared region corresponds well with the characteristic energy and absorption levels of the relevant components of the respiratory chain. This LED and Laser stimulation vitalizes the cell by increasing the mitochondrial and ATP production.
Cell membrane permeability alters and this leads to physiological changes. ATP increase leads to cell stimulation and proliferation. This physiological changes affect macrophages, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, mast cells, bradykinin and nerve conduction rates and more.
Physiological Changes
We now know that LLLT helps to accelerates cellular reproduction and growth (rapid cell growth). LLLT also stimulates fibroblast development in damage tissue as well as leading to higher output of specific enzymes, greater oxygen and food particle loads on blood cell and more effective immune response.
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