Is Laser Power Important?
Depends on the success rates you want to obtain in laser therapy. Higher power allows for a greater range of clinical applications, leading to patient satisfaction. Not to mention, your financial satisfaction. Next to an accurate diagnosis and proper clinical training in laser therapy application, dosage is the single most important parameter for a successful outcome in laser therapy. Too little energy produces no effect. The primary factor in lasers that determine dosage is power.
DOSAGE = Power x Time
While power is the amount of energy measured at the source of the beam, dosage is the amount of energy delivered to the skin. Dosage may also be referred to as energy density or fluence. Its unit of measure is the Joule. Higher power gives a higher power density, which very often is beneficial. Insufficient power cannot be compensated with more treatment time! Positive results require more than increasing time. By itself dosage cannot adequately describe laser treatment. One must ask several questions. What is the depth of the target tissue? Is the laser power strong enough to reach this target? 65% of laser energy is absorbed by the subcutaneous tissues, so you must take this into account when determining the laser power options.
Example:
Given enough time a 500mW laser could administer a dosage equal to that given by a 2 watt instrument. Yet results will be very different. The higher power density of the 2 watt laser will penetrate far more deeply and with greater effect.
Dosages and power at higher ends typically provide better results, as long as treatment intervals are not too close together.
I often meet doctors who do not know what type of laser they should purchase. When asked, it is not unusual for them to respond 3B. Make sure to investigate the option of Class 4 lasers too. Trust the science, not the sales brochures!
Perry Nickelston, DC
1-866-595-7749 Ext. 102
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