Diolite laser is a term primarily used in the field of cosmetic surgery to describe a specific kind of diode laser commonly used in skin lesion treatment, for both vascular and pigmented lesions. A diolite laser works by targeting the cells that make up the skin lesions, heating them until they are destroyed but leaving surrounding tissue unaffected. The ability to target one kind of tissue while leaving other areas intact makes this laser therapy especially useful for liver spot treatment, sun spot treatment, spider vein treatment and age spot treatment. Other kinds of lasers are also used for this purpose, and some can give more notable results, but they often cause more damage to the skin, leading to longer healing times and a greater risk of unwanted side effects.
Like all diode lasers, a diolite laser uses a semiconducting material to produce laser light, similar to how a light-emitting diode, or LED, light produces its light. Different kinds of diode lasers emit different kinds of light with varying properties, and they can be used for various industrial, scientific and medical purposes, for example bar-code scanners, CD drives and dentistry tools. A diolite laser uses a specific wavelength, pulse duration and pulse energy so that its light is only absorbed by the type of tissue targeted for treatment.
The intense beam of light produced by the diolite laser is directed through a hand-held, pen-like device that is pointed at the skin, lightly touching the areas to be treated. Then the heat generated by the laser light destroys unwanted blood vessels and pigment cells. An anesthetic cream is sometimes applied to the area before treatment and patients commonly experience only moderate discomfort. After diolite laser therapy, there can be some swelling or redness, but serious side effects are uncommon.
This kind of laser is often used to treat vascular lesions like spider veins, cherry angiomas, and rosacea caused by blood vessel dilation that makes the skin appear flushed. It is also used to treat pigmented lesions, like those caused by sun exposure such as freckles, lentigines or liver spots, scaly brown or black spots called keratoses, as well as other pigmentary changes. This laser therapy can also be used to treat skin laxity and coarse or rough skin. More invasive skin resurfacing techniques such as dermabrasion and laser resurfacing are more effective at treating skin lesions, but diolite laser therapy is preferred by some patients because recovery time is shorter and because the risk of infection, bruising, scabbing and scarring is reduced.
