Canine Cold Laser Therapy

Laser therapy has been applied in different specialties procedures, practices, and devices. There appear to be many distinct benefits to using a therapeutic laser. These include angioplasty, cancer diagnosis, cancer treatment, dentistry, cosmetic dermatology such as scar revision, skin resurfacing, laser hair removal, tattoo removal, dermatology, to treat melanoma, frenectomy, lithotripsy, laser mammography, medical imaging, microscopy, ophthalmology (includes Lasik and laser photocoagulation), optical coherence tomography, optogenetics, prostatectomy plastic surgery, in laser liposuction, and in treatment of skin lesions (congenital and acquired) and in scar management (burns and surgical scars), surgery, and to cut, ablate, and cauterize tissue.

Moreover, laser light therapy can also be used in Neovascularization, Angiogenesis, and Collagen synthesis which enhances wound healing, Stimulation of nerve healing, Enhanced healing of tendons, cartilage, and bones, reduce of swelling from an injury, Modulation of degenerative tissue changes, and Mitigation of CNS damage following traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury [18]. The optimal wavelengths, intensities, and dosages for laser therapy in pets have not yet been adequately studied or determined, but this is sure to change as studies are designed and as more case-based information is reported. To maximize laser penetration, the pet's hair should be clipped.

During the application of laser beams, it is recommended to hold the laser perpendicular (90 degrees) to the skin surface to minimize the reflection of the laser. Moreover, to minimize the scattering effect of the laser beams, the lasers should be applied directly to the skin that helps the beams to pass deeper into the tissue. For this purpose, using lasers having wavelengths in the range of 600 to 1200 nm. Besides, using lasers with larger spot areas allows more homogeneous passage of photons, and greater treatment area with less scatter of the beams .

When creating a treatment protocol for therapeutic laser, it is important to consider these effects to maximize patient outcomes. The actual time the tissue is exposed to light energy may also affect the outcome. Thus, proper application of laser therapy is not technically difficult, but it does require attention to be paid to basic technical principles, which can have profound effects on the success of treatment of the targeted tissue or area. Often, a lack of attention to these details is responsible for suboptimal outcomes .