Laser Surgery Health Article

Risks

Like traditional surgery, laser surgery can be complicated by:

• hemorrhage
• infection
• perforation (piercing) of an organ or tissue

Laser surgery can also involve risks that are not associated with traditional surgical procedures. Being careless or not practicing safe surgical techniques can severely burn the patient's lungs or even cause them to explode. Patients must wear protective eye shields while undergoing laser surgery on any part of the face near the eyes or eyelids, and the United States Food and Drug Administration has said that both doctors and patients must use special wavelength-specific, protective eyewear whenever a CO₂ laser is used.

There are other kinds of dangers that laser surgery can impose of which the patient should be aware. Laser beams have the capacity to do a great deal of damage when coupled with high enough energy and absorption. They can ignite clothing, paper, and hair. Further, the risk of fire from lasers increases in the presence of oxygen. Hair should be protected and clothing should be tied back, or removed, within the treatment areas. It is important to guard against electric shock, as lasers require the use of high voltage. Critically, installation must ensure proper wiring.

Laser beams can burn or destroy healthy tissue, cause injuries that are painful and sometimes permanent, and actually compound problems they are supposed to solve. Errors or inaccuracies in laser surgery can worsen a patient's vision, for example, and lasers can scar and even change the skin color of some patients.

All of the above risks, precautions, and potential complications should be discussed by the doctor with the patient.

Normal results

The nature and severity of the problem, the skill of the surgeon performing the procedure, and the patient's general health and realistic expectations are among the factors that influence the outcome of laser surgery. Successful procedures can enable patients to feel better, look younger, and enjoy longer, fuller, more active lives.

A patient who is considering any kind of laser surgery should ask the doctor to provide detailed information about what the outcome of the surgery is expected to be, what the recovery process will involve, and how long it will probably be before a normal appearance is regained and the patient can resume normal activities.

A person who is considering any type of laser surgery should ask the doctor to provide specific and detailed information about what could go wrong during the procedure and what the negative impact on the patient's health or appearance might be.

Lighter or darker skin may appear, for example, when a laser is used to remove sun damage or age spots from an olive- or dark-skinned individual. This abnormal pigmentation may or may not disappear over time.

Scarring or rupturing of the cornea is uncommon, but laser surgery on one or both eyes can:

• increase sensitivity to light or glare
• reduce night vision
• permanently cloud vision, or cause sharpness of vision to decline throughout the day

Signs of infection following laser surgery include:

• burning
• crusting of the skin
• itching
• pain
• scarring
• severe redness
• swelling

BOOKS

Carlson, Karen J., et. al. The Harvard Guide to Women's Health. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996.

PERIODICALS

"Laser Procedures for Nearsightedness." FDA Consumer (Jan./Feb. 1996): 2.

"Laser Resurfacing Slows the Hands of Time." Harvard Health Letter (Aug. 1996): 4-5.

"Lasers." Mayo Clinic Health Letter (July 1994): 1-3.

"Lasers: Bright Lights of the Medical World." Cosmopolitan (May 1995): 262-265.

"Lasers for Skin Surgery." Harvard Women's Health Watch (Mar. 1997): 2-3.

"Lasers–Hope or Hype?" American Health (June 1994): 68-72, 103.

"New Cancer Therapies That Ease Pain, Extend Life." Cancer Smart (June 1997): 8-10.

"New Laser Surgery for Angina." HealthNews (6 May 1997): 3-4.

"Saving Face." Essence (Aug. 1997), 24, 26, 28.

ORGANIZATIONS

American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. 930 N. Meacham Road, P.O. Box 4014, Schaumburg, IL 60168-4014. (847) 330-9830. <http://www.asds-net.org>.

American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. 2404 Stewart Square, Wausau, WI 54401.(715) 845-9283. <http://www.aslms.org>.

Cancer Information Service. 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 31, Suite 10A18, Bethesda, MD 20892. 1-800-4-CANCER. <http://wwwicic.nci.nih.gov>.

Mayo Clinic. Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery. 200 First Street. SW, Rochester, MN 55905. (507) 284-2511. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/colorectalsurgery-rst/laparoscopicsurgery.html>.

Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 200 First Street. SW, Rochester, MN 55905. (507) 284-2511. <http://http://www.mayoclinic.com>.

National Cancer Institute. Building 31, Room 10A31, 31 Center Drive, MSC 2580, Bethesda, MD 20892-2580. (800) 422-6237. <http://www.nci.nih.gov>.