Effects of different contact laser scalpels on skin and subcutaneous fat

The tissue effects of different Nd:YAG contact laser scalpels on pig skin and subcutaneous fat were studied using various power settings. Three different laser scalpels were tested: 0.2 mm nonfrosted (LR2), 0.6 mm nonfrosted (LR6), and 1.0 mm frosted (LRP10), using 3 different power settings (8 W, 14 W, 18 W). The tissue effects of a steel scalpel were used as reference. Incisions on pig loin (40/pig) were made at randomized sites. Specimens were taken at postoperative days 0 and 14. The depth of tissue damage was measured using a light microscope. The amount of time required for making each incision was recorded. Significant differences between the LR2 and the LR6 were observed in the skin at 2 weeks (P less than .05) at all power settings used, indicating superiority of the smaller scalpel for use in skin incisions. The LRP10 did not cause more tissue damage than did the LR6 in any of the power settings used. In subcutaneous fat the smallest scalpel (LR2) caused significantly less tissue damage evident at 2 weeks postoperatively (P less than .05) than did the other two laser scalpels, whereas the effects of the different power settings were minor. The incision time in skin decreased by more than 50% when the power was increased from 8 W to 18 W for all laser scalpels studied.