Abstract

Specific damage by selectively absorbed pulsed lasers can be predicted based on physical models. By appropriate manipulation of wavelength and pulse duration, thermally mediated alterations can be confined to pigmented targets from the level of subcellular organelles (e.g., melanosomes) to large multicellular tissue structures (e.g., blood vessels). Highly selective damage to human cutaneous microvessels in vivo is shown to occur after a 0.3-μsec 577-nm dye laser pulse with sparing of epidermal cells and dermal structures other than vessels. Animal studies suggest that hemorrhage or selective intravascular coagulation and permanent micro- vascular hemostasis occurs in a predictable manner.

© 1983 Optical Society of America