How Does a Cold Laser Work?

A woman being treated in a hospital.

Cold lasers are a different type of laser than a standard hot laser, which is used for tasks like precision cutting. Cold lasers are often used to heal nerve endings and cell degeneration.

Wavelength

Cold lasers operate by firing light at a very specific wavelength that is much shorter than the wide wavelength of a standard laser. A cold laser will appear red in color and have a wavelength of 650 nanometers. Conversely, the wavelength of a laser used for cutting would be 1070 nanometers.

Intensity

Cold lasers also operate at a much lower intensity than standard lasers. The power level for cold lasers is between 5 milliwatts and 500 milliwatts. By contrast, the power level for a laser hot enough to cut something would be close to 400 watts.

The Sun

Cold lasers operate in a very similar fashion to the natural healing power of the sun. The light from the cold laser mimics the healing power of UV light generated by the sun, and speeds up the natural recovery process of the cell.

Healing

When used for healing, cold lasers are used for things like tattoo removal and corrective eye surgery. This is because they can help repair damaged cells and skin tissue.

Applications

Cold lasers are used in a variety of ways. The lasers in CD, DVD and Blu-Ray players are cold lasers. They can also be used to transmit computer data from one source to another.

References

• Cold Laser Therapy
• Red Laser Wavelength
• Laser Cutting