March 17, 2025 • 12 mins
Laser 101: The Science Behind the Beam | Laser Secrets Podcast
Welcome to the very first episode of Laser Secrets! Hosted by Jamie, a laser-obsessed med spa owner, medical esthetician, and passionate educator, this podcast is designed to give aesthetic laser practitioners the knowledge, confidence, and skills needed to master the art and science of laser treatments.
In this foundational episode, Jamie breaks down Laser 101, covering the core principles of how lasers work, key terminology, and practical insights to help practitioners feel more confident in their treatments. Whether you're new to the industry or looking to deepen your understanding of laser physics, this episode will make complex topics simple and actionable.
🎧 In This Episode, Discover:
- The basics of laser technology and how different wavelengths interact with the skin
- The role of chromophores and how lasers target melanin, hemoglobin, and water
- Why pulse duration and fluence matter in achieving safe and effective results
- Practical tips to boost confidence as a laser practitioner and optimize client outcomes
Stay Connected & Explore:
- Follow Jamie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laser_secrets_consulting
- Find Esthetician-Approved Products Jamie Recommends: https://app.pompbeauty.com/pomp-pro/amFtaWVhbnl0aW1lZml0QHlhaG9vLmNvbTpjdXN0b21lcjoxNzE4MDMxMTcwNTY2
- Email for Show-Related Inquiries and Sponsorships: lasersecrets@yahoo.com
Credits:
Podcast production by Brand|Sound. Start your podcast journey by emailing brandsoundpodcasts@gmail.com.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Laser Secrets
00:57 Understanding Lasers: The Basics
02:17 Chromophores and Their Role
04:21 Laser Wavelengths Explained
06:22 Pulse Duration and Fluence
08:28 Boosting Confidence as a Practitioner
11:46 Conclusion and Final Tips
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey, my laser loving friends,welcome to laser secrets, the
(00:04):
podcast that's all about givingyou the knowledge, confidence, and
the skills you need to be the bestaesthetic laser practitioner possible.
I'm your host, Jamie.
I am a laser obsessed med spaowner, medical esthetician, laser
specialist, and passionate educatorin the world of medical aesthetics.
And let me tell you, today'sepisode is a must listen
(00:25):
because we're talking laser 101.
The science behind the beam.
If lasers have you feeling a bitoverwhelmed, if terms like wavelength,
pulse duration, chromophore, andsome others make your head spin
or make you nervous, don't worry.
By the end of the episode, we'regoing to understand how lasers
work in a way that makes sense.
(00:45):
So you can walk into every treatmentroom with absolute confidence.
So grab a cup of coffee, yournotebook maybe, or even just a cozy
spot to listen and let's dive in.
Let's start with the absolute basics.
What even is a laser?
Fun fact, the word laser actuallystands for Light Amplification
(01:07):
Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
Sounds intense, right?
But at its core, a laser is just ahighly focused beam of light that
is specifically designed to interactwith certain things in the skin.
Think of it this way.
Imagine a flashlight.
When you turn it on, the light spreadseverywhere, illuminating a whole room.
But a laser is like a laser pointer.
(01:29):
Super precise, powerful, and able tofocus on one specific thing at a time.
Unlike natural sunlight orlight bulbs, laser light is
different in three important ways.
For one, it's monochromatic.
It means it's one color orscientifically one wavelength of light.
This is why differentlasers do different things.
(01:51):
Two, it's coherent.
The light waves are all moving in thesame direction like a team of synchronized
swimmers instead of a chaotic wave pool.
Three, it's collimated.
The beam stays tightly focused insteadof spreading out like a flashlight.
Because of these properties, lasersallow us to target specific structures
in the skin with incredible precision,whether that's hair follicles,
(02:14):
blood vessels, pigment, collagen.
let's talk a little further into howthese lasers work, now that we know
what a laser is and what it stands for.
Um, you know, every laser isdesigned to target a chromophore,
which is a fancy word for the thingin the skin that absorbs energy.
And everything that wework with in our practices.
(02:36):
To make things super simple,think about sunscreen.
When you wear sunscreen, itabsorbs UV light, keeping it
from penetrating in your skin.
The same way, chromophores in the skinabsorb specific laser wavelengths.
Here are three main chromophores we workwith pretty much everyday in aesthetics.
The first one is melanin.
This is pigment absorption.
(02:57):
This is found in hairfollicles, freckles, age spots.
When lasers target melanin,we can remove hair.
We can break up pigmentation.
We can treat tattoos.
The next super commonchromophore is hemoglobin.
This is blood absorption.
This is found in blood vessels.
Lasers that target hemoglobinare used to reduce redness.
(03:21):
like rosacea treatments,treat spider veins, and help
to erase broken capillaries.
Next is water.
This is your resurfacing and tightening.
The skin is mostly water, so when lasersthat target water are used, they actually
heat up tissue to resurface, tighten,or stimulate collagen production.
(03:41):
Think of chromophores like differentcolored t shirts on a hot summer day.
If you wear a black t shirt,it absorbs all the sunlight and
makes you a bit warmer, likemelanin absorbing laser energy.
But if you wear a white t shirt, itreflects the light and keeps you cool.
The same principle applies when choosingthe right laser for the right target.
You need the right wavelengthto match the chromophore.
(04:04):
And this is another reason why weIt cannot effectively treat lighter
colored hair, with a laser becauseit truly is like wearing that white
t shirt and not absorbing, thatheat or the energy from the sun.
Same thing with the laser.
So let's get into wavelengthsand why they matter.
(04:26):
Every laser operates at aspecific wavelength, which
is measured in nanometers.
Think of a wavelength like radio stations.
You have to tune into the rightfrequency to get the music, or in
this case, the right laser effect.
Here's a simple cheat sheet forsome common laser wavelengths.
The first is alexandrite.
We love our alexandritelaser at my practice.
(04:49):
this is a 755 nanometer.
This loves melanin.
It's best for laser hair removaland pigmentation treatments.
A diode laser is an 810 to 940 nanometer.
It also loves melanin andcan go a little deeper.
It's great for hair removalon a range of skin tones.
The ND YAG or the 1064 nanometer.
(05:11):
This is like our work horse, wavelength.
It's the deepest penetration.
It's awesome for vascular lesions.
pigmentation, it's safe for hairremoval, um, on all skin tones.
Also you can do really cool treatmentsif you're using a long pulse, like
a laser genesis treatment to helpbreak down, any redness, Kupero skin
(05:36):
helps to tighten the skin as well.
next up, a CO2 or Erbium.
These are the 10, 600 nanometerand the 2940 nanometer.
These absorb water.
It's great for skin resurfacingand collagen remodeling.
And in future episodes, we'll diginto more laser wavelengths because
(05:56):
there, there are a lot and a lotof different things you can do.
So If you've ever wondered whysome lasers don't work on certain
concerns, it's probably because thewavelength doesn't match the target.
I do recommend downloading and printingoff a light spectrum, wavelength chart.
That way you can really match thelaser to what you're trying to affect.
(06:22):
Now let's get into pulseduration and fluence.
So these are super importantsettings to determine are we going
to get the effect we want to get.
First of all, pulse duration.
This is the speed of the laser pulse.
Shorter pulses equal better forbreaking up pigment like tattoo removal.
(06:45):
these lasers would bein the Q switch range.
And the Pico type of lasers,and that would be the short
pulse or photo acoustic lasers.
So, like I said, this is better forbreaking up pigment, tattoo removal.
You definitely need to use eithera Pico or a Q Switch laser.
(07:05):
for long pulse lasers, and you canhave different animators in both.
think of heating anddestroying hair follicles.
So you would use, for hairremoval, a long pulse laser.
to reiterate, pulse durationis the speed of laser pulse.
Fluence, or energy output, isthe power behind the laser.
So, if it's too low,you won't see results.
(07:27):
If it's too high, you risk burningthe skin around, the target.
The trick is finding the lowest effectivefluence for safe and effective treatments.
And what I mean by that is Icall it like safely aggressive.
So it's taking that client to thatthreshold where you're getting the
result, but not over treating them.
(07:49):
And laser, I always tell all ofour team members, all of our laser
specialists, you can't unring a bell.
So you want to be cautious.
But aggressive enough to be gettingthe effect and again, we'll dig
way into this in future episodes.
So think of pulse durationlike baking cookies.
(08:12):
A hot oven for a short time equalscrispy outside, gooey inside,
like short pulses for pigment.
A low oven temperature for a longertime gets evenly baked cookies
like long pulses for hair removal.
Let's talk next about tips to boostyour confidence as a laser practitioner.
(08:33):
So these are, what I teach my team aswell, so they can be the most confident
and we can get the best results.
For one, never ever stop learning.
The best practitioners stay curiousand keep up with technology,
keep up with journals out there.
I absolutely love, Dermalaseand what they are doing.
(08:55):
I actually had the Pleasure oftraining with them in Scotland.
This is advanced training.
they put out an awesomepodcast called lasers and skin.
They also have a greatInstagram page as well.
Definitely check them out.
And there's others too, but juststay on top of new research.
understanding the science is a biggie too.
(09:16):
When you know why a laser works and howto understand the physics behind it,
adjusting settings become second nature.
And really my goal for you with, theConsulting I do, and even this podcast
is for you to understand the physicsa little deeper, and you should be
(09:36):
able to go to pretty much any laser.
And as long as it's calibratedproperly, you should know how to adjust.
And make changes to get the safest andmost effective results for your clients.
Next, knowing your client's skin type.
Always assess your client's skintone at the time of treatment.
I treat based on what they'reexhibiting at the time.
(10:01):
the Fitzpatrick scale is abiggie that we're taught on.
But really go by what they'reexhibiting at the time of treatment.
This has been, my training in the advancedtraining I've done with dermalase.
and once I started adjusting thatway, I get awesome results because
even if someone is a Fitz 4, ifthey are super pale at the time.
(10:27):
You don't necessarily have to justtreat them as a Fitz 4 you could
maybe bump your energy just a smidge.
But again, this is you learning andbe more confident with your equipment
and that continuing education.
Next, my tip for you isto start conservatively.
you can always increase power, but youcan't, again, you can't unring that bell.
(10:49):
You can't undo a burn.
Making sure you're doing test pulses.
if you're somewhere that you are requiredto do, some test spots a few days
before the actual treatment, definitelyfollow, the regulations in your area.
And next, practice.
treat each other in the office.
(11:09):
And, experiment with settings.
We do that all the time at my practice.
we will, based on new researchcoming out, we'll try it on
ourselves and, go from there.
But don't be afraid to experimenta little bit, but I do recommend
on yourself first, and always wearyour safety protection on your eyes.
(11:31):
Your client should be as well.
I'm still unfortunately seeingthings on Instagram, sometimes laser
treatments happening with no glasses.
So safety is always first.
All right, LASER lovers, that's a wrapon today's quick episode on LASER 101.
(11:52):
I hope you're walking away with a bit moreof an understanding of LASER fundamentals,
or maybe your interest is just piqued tofollow along in my next podcast episodes.
LASER is so magical in our practice, butyour confidence makes all the difference.
Your confidence, your knowledge,and being able to deliver on those
(12:13):
safe results for our clients is key.
And that is what I want for you.
So if you loved this episode, pleasesubscribe, leave a review and share
it with your fellow aesthetic pros.
And if you have questions, suggestions,or interested in working with me
directly, I'd love a DM on Instagramat my page, @laser_secrets_consulting.
Until next time, stay confidentand curious, and here's to
(12:36):
having the best results ever.
Hey, my laser loving friends,welcome to laser secrets, the
(00:04):
podcast that's all about givingyou the knowledge, confidence, and
the skills you need to be the bestaesthetic laser practitioner possible.
I'm your host, Jamie.
I am a laser obsessed med spaowner, medical esthetician, laser
specialist, and passionate educatorin the world of medical aesthetics.
And let me tell you, today'sepisode is a must listen
(00:25):
because we're talking laser 101.
The science behind the beam.
If lasers have you feeling a bitoverwhelmed, if terms like wavelength,
pulse duration, chromophore, andsome others make your head spin
or make you nervous, don't worry.
By the end of the episode, we'regoing to understand how lasers
work in a way that makes sense.
(00:45):
So you can walk into every treatmentroom with absolute confidence.
So grab a cup of coffee, yournotebook maybe, or even just a cozy
spot to listen and let's dive in.
Let's start with the absolute basics.
What even is a laser?
Fun fact, the word laser actuallystands for Light Amplification
(01:07):
Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
Sounds intense, right?
But at its core, a laser is just ahighly focused beam of light that
is specifically designed to interactwith certain things in the skin.
Think of it this way.
Imagine a flashlight.
When you turn it on, the light spreadseverywhere, illuminating a whole room.
But a laser is like a laser pointer.
(01:29):
Super precise, powerful, and able tofocus on one specific thing at a time.
Unlike natural sunlight orlight bulbs, laser light is
different in three important ways.
For one, it's monochromatic.
It means it's one color orscientifically one wavelength of light.
This is why differentlasers do different things.
(01:51):
Two, it's coherent.
The light waves are all moving in thesame direction like a team of synchronized
swimmers instead of a chaotic wave pool.
Three, it's collimated.
The beam stays tightly focused insteadof spreading out like a flashlight.
Because of these properties, lasersallow us to target specific structures
in the skin with incredible precision,whether that's hair follicles,
(02:14):
blood vessels, pigment, collagen.
let's talk a little further into howthese lasers work, now that we know
what a laser is and what it stands for.
Um, you know, every laser isdesigned to target a chromophore,
which is a fancy word for the thingin the skin that absorbs energy.
And everything that wework with in our practices.
(02:36):
To make things super simple,think about sunscreen.
When you wear sunscreen, itabsorbs UV light, keeping it
from penetrating in your skin.
The same way, chromophores in the skinabsorb specific laser wavelengths.
Here are three main chromophores we workwith pretty much everyday in aesthetics.
The first one is melanin.
This is pigment absorption.
(02:57):
This is found in hairfollicles, freckles, age spots.
When lasers target melanin,we can remove hair.
We can break up pigmentation.
We can treat tattoos.
The next super commonchromophore is hemoglobin.
This is blood absorption.
This is found in blood vessels.
Lasers that target hemoglobinare used to reduce redness.
(03:21):
like rosacea treatments,treat spider veins, and help
to erase broken capillaries.
Next is water.
This is your resurfacing and tightening.
The skin is mostly water, so when lasersthat target water are used, they actually
heat up tissue to resurface, tighten,or stimulate collagen production.
(03:41):
Think of chromophores like differentcolored t shirts on a hot summer day.
If you wear a black t shirt,it absorbs all the sunlight and
makes you a bit warmer, likemelanin absorbing laser energy.
But if you wear a white t shirt, itreflects the light and keeps you cool.
The same principle applies when choosingthe right laser for the right target.
You need the right wavelengthto match the chromophore.
(04:04):
And this is another reason why weIt cannot effectively treat lighter
colored hair, with a laser becauseit truly is like wearing that white
t shirt and not absorbing, thatheat or the energy from the sun.
Same thing with the laser.
So let's get into wavelengthsand why they matter.
(04:26):
Every laser operates at aspecific wavelength, which
is measured in nanometers.
Think of a wavelength like radio stations.
You have to tune into the rightfrequency to get the music, or in
this case, the right laser effect.
Here's a simple cheat sheet forsome common laser wavelengths.
The first is alexandrite.
We love our alexandritelaser at my practice.
(04:49):
this is a 755 nanometer.
This loves melanin.
It's best for laser hair removaland pigmentation treatments.
A diode laser is an 810 to 940 nanometer.
It also loves melanin andcan go a little deeper.
It's great for hair removalon a range of skin tones.
The ND YAG or the 1064 nanometer.
(05:11):
This is like our work horse, wavelength.
It's the deepest penetration.
It's awesome for vascular lesions.
pigmentation, it's safe for hairremoval, um, on all skin tones.
Also you can do really cool treatmentsif you're using a long pulse, like
a laser genesis treatment to helpbreak down, any redness, Kupero skin
(05:36):
helps to tighten the skin as well.
next up, a CO2 or Erbium.
These are the 10, 600 nanometerand the 2940 nanometer.
These absorb water.
It's great for skin resurfacingand collagen remodeling.
And in future episodes, we'll diginto more laser wavelengths because
(05:56):
there, there are a lot and a lotof different things you can do.
So If you've ever wondered whysome lasers don't work on certain
concerns, it's probably because thewavelength doesn't match the target.
I do recommend downloading and printingoff a light spectrum, wavelength chart.
That way you can really match thelaser to what you're trying to affect.
(06:22):
Now let's get into pulseduration and fluence.
So these are super importantsettings to determine are we going
to get the effect we want to get.
First of all, pulse duration.
This is the speed of the laser pulse.
Shorter pulses equal better forbreaking up pigment like tattoo removal.
(06:45):
these lasers would bein the Q switch range.
And the Pico type of lasers,and that would be the short
pulse or photo acoustic lasers.
So, like I said, this is better forbreaking up pigment, tattoo removal.
You definitely need to use eithera Pico or a Q Switch laser.
(07:05):
for long pulse lasers, and you canhave different animators in both.
think of heating anddestroying hair follicles.
So you would use, for hairremoval, a long pulse laser.
to reiterate, pulse durationis the speed of laser pulse.
Fluence, or energy output, isthe power behind the laser.
So, if it's too low,you won't see results.
(07:27):
If it's too high, you risk burningthe skin around, the target.
The trick is finding the lowest effectivefluence for safe and effective treatments.
And what I mean by that is Icall it like safely aggressive.
So it's taking that client to thatthreshold where you're getting the
result, but not over treating them.
(07:49):
And laser, I always tell all ofour team members, all of our laser
specialists, you can't unring a bell.
So you want to be cautious.
But aggressive enough to be gettingthe effect and again, we'll dig
way into this in future episodes.
So think of pulse durationlike baking cookies.
(08:12):
A hot oven for a short time equalscrispy outside, gooey inside,
like short pulses for pigment.
A low oven temperature for a longertime gets evenly baked cookies
like long pulses for hair removal.
Let's talk next about tips to boostyour confidence as a laser practitioner.
(08:33):
So these are, what I teach my team aswell, so they can be the most confident
and we can get the best results.
For one, never ever stop learning.
The best practitioners stay curiousand keep up with technology,
keep up with journals out there.
I absolutely love, Dermalaseand what they are doing.
(08:55):
I actually had the Pleasure oftraining with them in Scotland.
This is advanced training.
they put out an awesomepodcast called lasers and skin.
They also have a greatInstagram page as well.
Definitely check them out.
And there's others too, but juststay on top of new research.
understanding the science is a biggie too.
(09:16):
When you know why a laser works and howto understand the physics behind it,
adjusting settings become second nature.
And really my goal for you with, theConsulting I do, and even this podcast
is for you to understand the physicsa little deeper, and you should be
(09:36):
able to go to pretty much any laser.
And as long as it's calibratedproperly, you should know how to adjust.
And make changes to get the safest andmost effective results for your clients.
Next, knowing your client's skin type.
Always assess your client's skintone at the time of treatment.
I treat based on what they'reexhibiting at the time.
(10:01):
the Fitzpatrick scale is abiggie that we're taught on.
But really go by what they'reexhibiting at the time of treatment.
This has been, my training in the advancedtraining I've done with dermalase.
and once I started adjusting thatway, I get awesome results because
even if someone is a Fitz 4, ifthey are super pale at the time.
(10:27):
You don't necessarily have to justtreat them as a Fitz 4 you could
maybe bump your energy just a smidge.
But again, this is you learning andbe more confident with your equipment
and that continuing education.
Next, my tip for you isto start conservatively.
you can always increase power, but youcan't, again, you can't unring that bell.
(10:49):
You can't undo a burn.
Making sure you're doing test pulses.
if you're somewhere that you are requiredto do, some test spots a few days
before the actual treatment, definitelyfollow, the regulations in your area.
And next, practice.
treat each other in the office.
(11:09):
And, experiment with settings.
We do that all the time at my practice.
we will, based on new researchcoming out, we'll try it on
ourselves and, go from there.
But don't be afraid to experimenta little bit, but I do recommend
on yourself first, and always wearyour safety protection on your eyes.
(11:31):
Your client should be as well.
I'm still unfortunately seeingthings on Instagram, sometimes laser
treatments happening with no glasses.
So safety is always first.
All right, LASER lovers, that's a wrapon today's quick episode on LASER 101.
(11:52):
I hope you're walking away with a bit moreof an understanding of LASER fundamentals,
or maybe your interest is just piqued tofollow along in my next podcast episodes.
LASER is so magical in our practice, butyour confidence makes all the difference.
Your confidence, your knowledge,and being able to deliver on those
(12:13):
safe results for our clients is key.
And that is what I want for you.
So if you loved this episode, pleasesubscribe, leave a review and share
it with your fellow aesthetic pros.
And if you have questions, suggestions,or interested in working with me
directly, I'd love a DM on Instagramat my page, @laser_secrets_consulting.
Until next time, stay confidentand curious, and here's to
(12:36):
having the best results ever.
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