The History of Lasers
Did you know lasers started as just a theory? It all began in 1900 with Max Planck, a smart guy who figured out that energy comes in little packets he called "quanta." Then came Einstein, who in 1905 and 1916, told us that light is made of particles called photons and introduced this cool idea of stimulated emission.
Fast forward to 1960, and Theodore Maiman, a physicist, made the first-ever laser for clinical use. It was this ruby rod laser that zapped light at a specific wavelength. Then Leon Goldman, a doctor, started using it for skin treatments, like getting rid of dark hair - pretty groundbreaking for that time!
After this big breakthrough, lasers started doing all sorts of things. Researchers were all over it, finding ways to remove tattoos, treat skin spots, and even zap away certain skin layers. It was an exciting time with lots of new methods popping up, like using light to heal wounds and new types of lasers for different skin issues.
A huge step forward came in 1983 with something called selective photothermolysis. Two dermatologists, Rox Anderson and John Parrish, figured out how to use laser light to target just the bits of skin you want to treat without messing with the rest. It’s like using a really precise heat-seeking missile for skin problems!
In the 1990s, things got even cooler with robots! These robotic scanners made lasers super precise and uniform, so treatments got better and safer. They brought in new techniques for smoothing skin and reducing wrinkles, although they had to tweak things a bit to avoid scarring and color changes in the skin.
In the early 2000s, and fractionated laser technology comes in. This was a major game-changer for treating wrinkles, saggy skin, and scars. It meant deep skin treatments with less downtime and risk. Basically, it was a massive upgrade in making skin look awesome.
Nowadays, lasers are like Swiss Army knives for skin. They can smooth, rejuvenate, zap away unwanted fat, shape your body, remove hair, and even help hair grow! The best part? It's all with less downtime, more safety, and they work on more types of skin than ever before.
The future of lasers is super exciting! We're talking about lasers that can diagnose skin issues on the spot, or even act as delivery guys for powerful skin treatments. Researchers all over the world, especially in Asia, are working on cool new ways to use lasers for both beauty and health.
See our summary slides below:
For more than three hundred years, the most fashionable medicine in Europe was other people. Kings drank tinctures of human skulls, apothecaries sold powdered Egyptian mummy by the ounce, and painters ground the dead into a colour. It was sold as the secret to vitality, youth and health — and it may all have started with a mistranslation.
This is the story of corpse medicine and the counterfeit-mummy trade.