title: Pulse duration effects on cutaneous pigment.
abstract: Melanin, an endogenous chromophore in pigment containing cells in skin, is being specifically altered by lasers using the principle of selective photothermolysis (SPT). This implies that a combination of specific laser parameters of wavelength, pulse duration, spotsize, and energy density are required to confine the delivered laser energy to the targeted cells alone. Because the bulk of cutaneous pigment is localized to epidermal basal cells, pigmentary incontinence has been found to occur in skin exposed to laser irradiation. This study demonstrates that pulse duration or exposure time of the laser affect the severity of pigmentary incontinence induced. Pigment granules are more abundant, aggregated, and located deeper in the dermis following exposure to 500 nsec pulse duration than 100 nsec at a wavelength of 504 nm. This relationship appears to be independent of the laser energy density used.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Boston University Medical Center, Massachusetts 02118.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Kurban
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Trainor
authors.forename: O T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007834:Lasers; D008543:Melanins; D010859:Pigmentation Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012880:Skin Pigmentation / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013552:Swine; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D008543:Melanins