where is excimer laser treatment located

Full Answer

What is the excimer laser?

What is the Excimer laser? The Excimer is a powerful form of phototherapy that delivers a strong dosage of monochromatic UVB light to targeted affected areas of the skin, while leaving healthy skin tissue unaffected.

Are excimer laser treatments painful?

Excimer laser treatments are quite quick and painless. Depending on which areas need treatment your dermatologist may cover certain areas of the skin while leaving others exposed. The provider will then set the appropriate dosage of UVB light for the patient depending on their skin type, skin thickness, and severity of symptoms.

What is excimer treatment and how long does it last?

Excimer therapy can provide significant and long-lasting reductions in symptoms from psoriasis and other chronic skin conditions. The majority of patients who undergo Excimer treatments realize a remission of symptoms for months along with a significant improvement in their overall skin health. What are Excimer treatments like?

When was excimer laser lithography invented?

From an even broader scientific and technological perspective, since the invention of the laser in 1960, the development of excimer laser lithography has been highlighted as one of the major milestones in the history of the laser. The ultraviolet light from an excimer laser is well absorbed by biological matter and organic compounds.

Where is excimer laser used?

They are most commonly used to correct myopia (nearsightedness) but can also be used to correct hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism. The excimer laser alters the refractive state of the eye by removing tissue from the anterior cornea through a process known as photoablative decomposition.

What does excimer laser treat?

Excimer laser treatments use the power of ultraviolet (UV) light to treat a wide variety of skin conditions, including psoriasis, vitiligo, and atopic dermatitis.

Is excimer laser covered by insurance?

Excimer laser therapy is considered cosmetic and not medically necessary for the treatment of alopecia areata in any setting. Services that are cosmetic are not covered under most benefit plans.

Who makes excimer laser?

AMTEC - Applied Manufacturing Technologies, Inc. Manufacturer of pico and femto second high powered excimer lasers. Available in 157 to 351 nm.

What is excimer laser treatment for vitiligo?

The excimer laser is a highly focused beam of UVB light. Dermatologists focus the laser directly on the lightened areas of skin using a wand-like device. The UVB light may stimulate repigmentation in the skin, restoring color to white patches.

How long does excimer laser last?

Often, a complete response occurs in 20 to 30 treatments. Psoriasis patients report significant periods of relief after successful Excimer Laser treatments, with results that can last up to six months longer than plaque cleared by other treatments.

What is the fastest way to cure vitiligo?

TherapiesLight therapy. Phototherapy with narrow band ultraviolet B (UVB) has been shown to stop or slow the progression of active vitiligo. ... Combining psoralen and light therapy. ... Removing the remaining color (depigmentation).

Does laser have any side effects?

Rarely, laser hair removal can cause blistering, crusting, scarring or other changes in skin texture. Other rare side effects include graying of treated hair or excessive hair growth around treated areas, particularly on darker skin.

Is excimer laser the same as phototherapy?

Excimer 308-nm light is a form of targeted phototherapy that delivers a specific wavelength (308 nm) of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation using an excimer laser or an excimer lamp.

How are excimer lasers made?

Under the appropriate conditions of electrical stimulation and high pressure, a pseudo-molecule called an excimer (or in the case of noble gas halides, exciplex) is created, which can only exist in an energized state and can give rise to laser light in the ultraviolet range.

What class laser is an excimer laser?

ultraviolet laserAn Excimer Laser, sometimes called an Exciplex Laser, is a type of ultraviolet laser.

Why excimer laser is called so?

An excimer gain medium is typically pumped with short (nanosecond) current pulses in a high-voltage electric discharge (or sometimes with an electron beam), which create so-called excimers (excited dimers) – molecules which represent a bound state of their constituents only in the excited electronic state, but not in ...

Can Excimer Laser Cause Cancer?

Exposure to UVB rays can cause sunburns and skin cancer. Fortunately, excimer laser treatment does not increase the risk for skin cancer because it...

Does the Excimer Laser Work for Vitiligo?

Yes, excimer laser is a very effective tool for treating vitiligo. In fact, patients with vitiligo experience exceptional results in just a few mon...

How Does the Excimer Laser Work for Vitiligo?

Using a wand-like device, a dermatologist aims a highly-focused beam of UVB light onto the lightened areas of skin. The UVB light stimulates the pi...

What are the Side Effects of Excimer Laser Treatment?

Significant side effects of excimer laser are uncommon, but some people may experience temporary redness, itching, burning or stinging, darkening/l...

How Effective is Excimer Laser?

Research shows that excimer laser treatment is highly effective. In one study, participants experienced greater than 75 percent repigmentation of t...

Is Excimer Laser Treatment Permanent?

Excimer laser treatment provides long-lasting results, but the results are not always permanent, as autoimmune disease, neurogenic factors, genetic...

Does excimer help with psoriasis?

Excimer therapy can provide significant and long-lasting reductions in symptoms from psoriasis and other chronic skin conditions. The majority of patients who undergo Excimer treatments realize a remission of symptoms for months along with a significant improvement in their overall skin health.

Is excimer laser painless?

Excimer laser treatments are quite quick and painless. Depending on which areas need treatment your dermatologist may cover certain areas of the skin while leaving others exposed. The provider will then set the appropriate dosage of UVB light for the patient depending on their skin type, skin thickness, and severity of symptoms.

Is laser therapy safer than UVB?

This makes Excimer laser therapy considerably safer than UVB exposure from the sun. Excimer laser therapy is also free from common risks of steroids or oral medications like skin thinning, stretch mark development, or liver damage.

Does insurance cover excimer laser?

Some medical insurance plans do cover Excimer laser therapy treatments for medical conditions like psoriasis or vitiligo, depending on your specific plan. Please contact your insurance carrier directly to ensure if they will cover your treatments. About the Author.

What is an excimer laser?

An excimer laser, sometimes more correctly called an exciplex laser, is a form of ultraviolet laser which is commonly used in the production of microelectronic devices, semiconductor based integrated circuits or "chips", eye surgery, and micromachining . An excimer laser.

When was the excimer laser invented?

From an even broader scientific and technological perspective, since the invention of the laser in 1960, the development of excimer laser lithography has been highlighted as one of the major milestones in the 50-year history of the laser.

How does an excimer laser work?

Rather than burning or cutting material, the excimer laser adds enough energy to disrupt the molecular bonds of the surface tissue, which effectively disintegrates into the air in a tightly controlled manner through ablation rather than burning.

What is the difference between an excimer and an exciplex?

Terminology and history. The term excimer is short for 'excited dimer ', while exciplex is short for 'excited complex '. Most excimer lasers are of the noble gas halide type, for which the term excimer is, strictly speaking, a misnomer. (Although less commonly used, the proper term for such is an exciplex laser .)

How many pulses can an excimer laser produce?

While electron-beam pumped excimer lasers can produce high single energy pulses, they are generally separated by long time periods (many minutes). An exception was the Electra system, designed for inertial fusion studies, which could produce a burst of 10 pulses each measuring 500 J over a span of 10 s. In contrast, discharge-pumped excimer lasers, also first demonstrated at the Naval Research Laboratory, are able to output a steady stream of pulses. Their significantly higher pulse repetition rates (of order 100 Hz) and smaller footprint made possible the bulk of the applications listed in the following section. A series of industrial lasers were developed at XMR, Inc in Santa Clara, California between 1980-1988. Most of the lasers produced were XeCl, and a sustained energy of 1 J per pulse at repetition rates of 300 pulses per second was the standard rating. This laser used a high power thyratron and magnetic switching with corona pre-ionization and was rated for 100 million pulses without major maintenance. The operating gas was a mixture of Xenon, HCl, and Neon at approximately 5 atmospheres. Extensive use of stainlesss steel, nickel plating and solid nickel electrodes was incorporated to reduce corrosion due to the HCl gas. One major problem encountered was degradation of the optical windows due to carbon build-up on the surface of the CaF window. This was due to hydro-chloro-carbons formed from small amounts of carbon in O-rings reacting with the HCl gas. The hydro-chloro-carbons would slowly increase over time and absorbed the laser light, causing a slow reduction in laser energy. In addition these compounds would decompose in the intense laser beam and collect on the window, causing a further reduction in energy. Periodic replacement of laser gas and windows was required at considerable expense. This was significantly improved by use of a gas purification system consisting of a cold trap operating slightly above liquid nitrogen temperature and a metal bellows pump to recirculate the laser gas through the cold trap. The cold trap consisted of a liquid nitrogen reservoir and a heater to raise the temperature slightly, since at 77 K (liquid Nitrogen boiling point) the Xenon vapor pressure was lower than the required operating pressure in the laser gas mixture. HCl was frozen out in the cold trap, and additional HCl was added to maintain the proper gas ratio. An interesting side effect of this was a slow increase in laser energy over time, attributed to increase in hydrogen partial pressure in the gas mixture caused by slow reaction of chlorine with various metals. As the chlorine reacted, hydrogen was released, increasing the partial pressure. The net result was the same as adding hydrogen to the mixture to increase laser efficiency as reported by T.J. McKee et al.

Why does laser action occur in excimer molecule?

Laser action in an excimer molecule occurs because it has a bound (associative) excited state, but a repulsive (dissociative) ground state. Noble gases such as xenon and krypton are highly inert and do not usually form chemical compounds.

What is the name of the molecule that gives rise to laser light?

Under the appropriate conditions of electrical stimulation and high pressure, a pseudo- molecule called an excimer (or in the case of noble gas halides, exciplex) is created, which can only exist in an energized state and can give rise to laser light in the ultraviolet range.

What is excimer laser?

XTRAC Excimer Laser is the only clinically proven and FDA cleared device of its kind that clear skin of psoriasis. It works quite effectively and many patients see significant improvement with lengthy periods of remission. The XTRAC laser delivers precisely targeted UVB energy to the stubborn psoriatic plaques. Because of the Excimer laser’s ability to treat only affected skin, normal skin remains free of treatment and hence is less likely to incur undesirable side effects that conventional treatment may cause.

Is XTRAC laser good for vitiligo?

The Center for Dermatology Cosmetic and Laser Surgery is proud to be one of very few dermatology practices to offer advanced XTRAC Excimer Laser treatments to our patients. It is an excellent choice for improving the symptoms of psoriasis and vitiligo, which can sometimes be quite resistant to conventional treatment.

How Long do Treatment Results Last?

When performed by the expert providers at California Skin Institute, the XTRAC ® Excimer laser can provide long-term relief from psoriasis, and other skin problems.* Unfortunately, there is currently no known cure for psoriasis, and the laser isn’t able to provide permanent results.

What to Expect During Treatment?

Treatment with the XTRAC ® Excimer laser is very comfortable for most California Skin Institute patients and does not cause pain. In fact, many patients don’t experience any sensation on the skin at all and are surprised by how painless and comfortable the treatment feels.

Disclaimer

Treatment results will vary, talk to a practitioner to see if this treatment or procedure is right for you.