Ablation of human nail by pulsed lasers

• Published in: Lasers in surgery and medicine Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 186 - 192
• Main Authors: Neev, Joseph, Stuart Nelson, J., Critelli, Marguerite, McCullough, Jerry L., Cheung, Eric, Carrasco, William A., Rubenchik, Alexander M., Da Silva, Luiz B., Perry, Michael D., Stuart, Brent C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York John Wiley & Sons, Inc 1997; Wiley-Liss
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Biological effects of radiation; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; hard tissue ablation; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Laser Therapy; laser-induced plasma; laser-tissue interactions; lasers; nail; Nails - surgery; Nails - ultrastructure; Non ionizing radiations. Hertzian waves. Biooptics; Tissues, organs and organisms biophysics; Human; Near infrared radiation; Pathology; Nail(anatomy); Ultraviolet radiation; Pulsed laser; Radiation effect; Mid infrared radiation; Electron microscopy; Morphometry; Ablation; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0196-8092; 1096-9101
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-9101(1997)21:2<186::AID-LSM10>3.0.CO;2-D

Background and Objective The hard and resistant structure of the nail plate forms a natural barrier that limits the penetration of topical drugs. To overcome this barrier, the use of pulsed laser systems has been suggested. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of four laser systems on nail plate ablation rates, ablation efficiencies, and subsequent craters morphology. Study Design/Material and Methods: Solid state Er:YAG (2.94 μm, 250 μs), a Ho:YSGG (2.08 μm, 250 μs), a XeC1 Excimer (308 nm, 15 ns), and a novel solid‐state ultrashort pulse laser (1.05 μm, 350 fs) were used. Ablation rates, surface morphology, and extent of collateral damage were evaluated using light and electron microscopy. Results Best ablation efficiencies were demonstrated with the ultrashort pulsed laser (1 μm/mJ), whereas maximum material removal per pulse was obtained with the Er:YAG laser (80 μm/pulse). Scanning electron microscopy showed cracking damage with both Ho:YSGG and Er:YAG. XeC1 and the ultrashort pulse system left tissue surfaces free of cracks or thermal damage. Conclusion With its minimal acoustical and mechanical impact, high efficiency, and negligible collateral damage, the ultrashort pulse laser at 3 J/cm2 was found to be the optimal laser system for nail ablation. Lasers Surg. Med. 21:186–192, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.