Definition – What is laser therapy?
Laser therapy refers to a medical application in which bundled light rays in the form of a laser are shot at a lesion on the body. It is often used on the eyes and skin, for example to remove moles or scars. There are different types of laser treatment, depending on the lesion and the aim of the therapy. A distinction is made between laser ablation, coagulation, epilation and phototherapy. Cells are killed by the laser and can be removed.
Indications
There are many areas of application for laser therapy. It is used particularly frequently in the field of cosmetics or dermatological therapy for skin diseases. In the cosmetic field it can help to remove scars or birthmarks as well as permanent hair removal.
It can also be used to combat wrinkles or to remove dilated veins (varicose veins). Laser therapy is also frequently used for skin diseases such as acne, psoriasis, rosacea or nail fungus. It can also help in the treatment of malignant tumors.
Acne is a disease of the sebaceous glands, which occurs mainly on the face, chest and back of young people. It is mostly a cosmetic problem, but can lead to severe limitations in life and social isolation if massively affected. The skin lesions can be treated with medication or laser therapy.
The bundled light rays lead to the killing of bacteria in the sebaceous glands and thus prevent inflammation and spread. In addition, cells can be killed so that the sebaceous glands shrink. Even acne scars that have already developed can be treated with a laser.
Here it goes to: Acne – That helps bestArthritis is a degenerative disease in which wear and tear of the joint cartilage occurs due to many years of overuse and misuse. It occurs mainly on the knee and hip in older people. Patients often complain of severe pain and restricted mobility.
Often, surgical treatment is the only helpful therapy. However, laser therapy can be an additional treatment measure, especially when treating pain. Especially in the case of arthrosis of the small joints, for example in the fingers, laser application can lead to a reduction of pain by activating pain-relieving processes of the body through the light rays.
The application of laser therapy for nail mycosis is a rather newer method and in most cases is not covered by health insurance. However, it can lead to an alleviation of pain in cases of persistent infestation when medication is no longer effective. The light rays destroy the fungi in the nail and the nail can recover.
There is also a laser therapeutic destruction of the affected nail, so that a new nail can grow again. As a rule, however, fungicidal drugs (antimycotics) should always be taken in addition. Laser therapy can activate pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory processes in the body by applying it to the skin and joints.
It can thus help in the treatment of inflammation. Especially in diseases affecting the locomotor system, such as psoriasis, laser therapy can reduce pain and inhibit inflammation. It also promotes the healing of wounds.
The light rays activate cells of the body, which release substances for pain processing and anti-inflammation. Varicose veins, medically called varices, are dilations of small, superficial veins. They are caused by the fact that the venous valves no longer function and the blood cannot drain well.
People who have to stand for a long time are often affected. The result is greatly dilated veins on the skin, especially on the legs. There are different ways to treat varicose veins, laser therapy is one possibility.
Laser therapy is one possibility. A laser is inserted into the vein and heat is generated by means of the light rays. This destroys the vein wall and the vein closes.
This is applied over a wide section of the vein so that the vein is completely closed after the treatment. Spider veins, similar to varicose veins, are superficial, dilated veins. In contrast to varicose veins, however, they are a whole network of veins that often spread out on the legs to form net-like structures.
They have no disease value, but are a cosmetic problem for most patients. To treat spider veins, the deeper vein from which the blood comes must be closed so that the spider veins no longer receive blood. Laser therapy must therefore be applied to the deeper vein.In some cases this is a problem because the laser cannot penetrate so deeply.
The decision must therefore be made individually. A massive hair infestation or frequent shaving can be very annoying for some people. One method for long-term hair removal is laser therapy.
Here, bundled light rays are directed to the hair root. The heat achieved destroys the hair root, so that hair can no longer grow at this point. Each hair must be treated individually.
Usually several treatment appointments are necessary. However, the application depends on different factors, such as the hair type, skin type and body region. The best results are achieved with dark hair.
