Multiple wavelength laser workstation

Abstract

Lasers capable of lasing at least two wavelengths are provided having a lasing medium which is capable of lasing at a first wavelength and at a second wavelength. Also provided are laser workstations having two lasers driven by a single electronics drive system in which a single energy storage network is connected to a first laser pump chamber operative to excite a first laser medium and connected to a second laser pump chamber operative to excite a second laser medium. Also provided are methods of treating skin having a skin problem using multiple wavelengths of laser energy.

1 . A laser device comprising:
 a lasing medium capable of lasing at a first wavelength and a second wavelength, the lasing medium having a longitudinal axis;   an output coupler located at a first end of the lasing medium along the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium;   a first mirror located at a second end of the lasing medium along the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium, the first mirror being highly reflective at the first wavelength;   a second mirror located between the first mirror and the second end of the lasing medium along the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium, the second mirror being highly reflective at the second wavelength and transparent at the first wavelength; and   a beam block shutter movable from a first position along a longitudinal axis of the lasing medium between the first and second mirrors along the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium to a second position away from the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium.   
     
     
         2 . The laser of  claim 1 , wherein the lasing medium is a crystal rod. 
     
     
         3 . The laser of  claim 1 , wherein the lasing medium is one of an Nd:YAG crystal and a YAP:Nd crystal. 
     
     
         4 . The laser of  claim 1 , wherein the lasing medium is an Nd:YAG crystal, the first wavelength is 1064 nm and the second wavelength is 1320 nm. 
     
     
         5 . A laser workstation comprising a first laser and a second laser, wherein the first laser and the second laser are driven by a single electronics drive system comprising a single energy storage network connected to a first laser pump chamber and connected to a second laser pump chamber, wherein the first laser pump chamber is operative to excite a first laser medium and the second laser pump chamber is operative to excite a second laser medium. 
     
     
         6 . The laser workstation of  claim 5 , further comprising a switch located between the single energy storage network and the first laser pump chamber and second laser pump chamber. 
     
     
         7 . The laser workstation of  claim 6 , wherein the first laser pump chamber is connected to the single energy storage network by a first high voltage trigger transformer and wherein the second laser pump chamber is connected to the single energy storage network by a second high voltage trigger transformer. 
     
     
         8 . The laser workstation of  claim 7 , wherein the first high voltage trigger transformer is operative to ionize a first lamp in the first laser pump chamber when the switch is open. 
     
     
         9 . The laser workstation of  claim 7 , wherein the second high voltage trigger transformer is operative to ionize a second lamp in the second laser pump chamber when the switch is open. 
     
     
         10 . The laser workstation of  claim 5 , wherein the first laser is a pulse dye laser. 
     
     
         11 . The laser workstation of  claim 10 , wherein the pulse dye laser has an output of between about 575 nm and about 650 nm. 
     
     
         12 . The laser workstation of  claim 5 , wherein the second laser is an Nd:YAG laser. 
     
     
         13 . The laser workstation of  claim 12 , wherein the Nd:YAG laser comprises:
 an Nd:YAG lasing medium having a longitudinal axis;   an output coupler located at a first end of the Nd:YAG lasing medium along the longitudinal axis of the Nd:YAG lasing medium;   a first mirror located at a second end of the Nd:YAG lasing medium along the longitudinal axis of the Nd:YAG lasing medium, the first mirror being highly reflective at 1064 nm;   a second mirror located between the first mirror and the second end of the Nd:YAG lasing medium along the longitudinal axis of the Nd:YAG lasing medium, the second mirror being highly reflective at 1320 nm and transparent at 1064 nm; and   a beam block shutter movable from a first position along a longitudinal axis of the Nd:YAG lasing medium between the first and second mirrors along the longitudinal axis of the Nd:YAG lasing medium to a second position away from the longitudinal axis of the Nd:YAG lasing medium.   
     
     
         14 . The laser workstation of  claim 13 , wherein the Nd:YAG lasing medium is a crystal rod. 
     
     
         15 . The laser workstation of  claim 13 , wherein the second mirror is coated with a coating that is antireflective at 1064 nm. 
     
     
         16 . The laser workstation of  claim 5 , further comprising a handpiece connected critically to the first laser and second laser. 
     
     
         17 . The laser workstation of  claim 16 , wherein the handpiece comprises a plurality of lenses operative to focus the laser radiation. 
     
     
         18 . The laser workstation of  claim 16 , wherein the handpiece is connected to the first laser and second laser by an optical fiber. 
     
     
         19 . The laser workstation of  claim 15 , wherein the handpiece is connected to the first laser and second laser by a wave guide. 
     
     
         20 . The laser workstation of  claim 5 , wherein the single energy storage network is operably connected to the first laser pump chamber by an active semiconductor switch and to the second laser pump chamber by an active semiconductor switch. 
     
     
         21 . The laser workstation of  claim 20 , wherein the active semiconductor switches each are selected from the group consisting of an insulated gate bipolar transistor and a field effect transistor. 
     
     
         22 . The laser workstation of  claim 20 , wherein the active semiconductor switch is an IGBT. 
     
     
         23 . The laser workstation of  claim 20 , wherein the first laser device comprises a pulse dye laser. 
     
     
         24 . The laser workstation of  claim 20 , wherein the first laser device comprises an Alexandrite laser. 
     
     
         25 . The laser workstation of  claim 24 , wherein the Alexandrite laser is a variable pulse 755 nm Alexandrite laser. 
     
     
         26 . The laser workstation of  claim 20 , wherein the second laser device comprises:
 a second lasing medium capable of lasing at a first wavelength and a second wavelength, the lasing medium having a longitudinal axis;   an output coupler located at a first end of the lasing medium along the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium;   a first mirror located at a second end of the lasing medium along the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium, the first mirror being highly reflective at the first wavelength;   a second mirror located between the first mirror and the second end of the lasing medium along the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium, the second mirror being highly reflective at the second wavelength and transparent at the first wavelength; and   a beam block shutter movable from a first position along a longitudinal axis of the lasing medium between the first and second mirrors along the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium to a second position away from the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium.   
     
     
         27 . The laser workstation of  claim 26 , wherein the second laser device comprises an Nd:YAG laser. 
     
     
         28 . The laser workstation of  claim 27 , wherein the first mirror is highly reflective at 1064 nm and the second mirror is highly reflective at 1320 nm and transparent at 1064 nm. 
     
     
         29 . A method of treating a skin problem comprising the steps of: providing a laser device comprising;
 a lasing medium capable of lasing at a first wavelength and a second wavelength, the lasing medium having a longitudinal axis;   an output coupler located at a first end of the lasing medium along the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium;   a first mirror located at a second end of the lasing medium along the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium, the first mirror being highly reflective at the first wavelength;   a second mirror located between the first mirror and the second end of the lasing medium along the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium, the second mirror being highly reflective at the second wavelength and transparent at the first wavelength; and   a beam block shutter movable from a first position along a longitudinal axis of the lasing medium between the first and second mirrors along the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium to a second position away from the longitudinal axis of the lasing medium; and   treating an area of skin affected by a skin problem by using the laser device to apply laser energy at the first wavelength to the area of skin affected by a skin problem and using the laser device to apply laser energy at the second wavelength to the area of skin affected by the skin problem.   
     
     
         30 . A method of treating a skin problem comprising the steps of:
 providing a laser device comprising a laser workstation comprising a first laser and a second laser, wherein the first laser and the second laser are driven by a single electronics drive system comprising a single energy storage network connected to a first laser pump chamber and connected to a second laser pump chamber, wherein the first laser pump chamber is operative to excite a first laser medium and the second laser pump chamber is operative to excite a second laser medium; and   treating an area of skin affected by a skin problem by using the laser device to apply laser energy from the first laser at a first wavelength to the area of skin affected by a skin problem and using the laser device to apply laser energy from the second laser at a second wavelength to the area of skin affected by the skin problem.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the laser energy from the first laser is at a different wavelength from the laser energy from the second laser. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the laser energy from the first laser and the laser energy from the second laser are applied simultaneously. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the laser energy from the first laser is applied sequentially with energy from the second laser. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the laser energy from the first laser and the laser energy from the second laser are each applied in sub-pulses. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein sub-pulses from the first laser are intercalated with sub-pulses from the second laser. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34 , where a pulse train of sub-pulses from the first laser are followed by a sub-pulse from the second laser. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the first laser comprises a pulse dye laser and the second laser comprises:
 an Nd:YAG laser having a longitudinal axis; an output coupler located at a first end of the Nd:YAG laser along the longitudinal axis of the Nd:YAG laser;   a first mirror located at a second end of the Nd:YAG laser along the longitudinal axis of the Nd:YAG laser, the first mirror being highly reflective at the 1064 nm;   a second mirror located between the first mirror and the second end of the Nd:YAG laser along the longitudinal axis of the Nd:YAG laser, the second mirror being highly reflective at 1320 nm and transparent at 1064 nm; and   a beam block shutter movable from a first position along a longitudinal axis of the Nd:YAG laser between the first and second mirrors along the longitudinal axis of the Nd:YAG laser to a second position away from the longitudinal axis of the Nd:YAG laser.   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the first wavelength is 595 nm and the second wavelength is 1064 nm. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the skin problem is leg or facial veins. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the first wavelength is 595 nm and the second wavelength is 1320 nm. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the skin problem is acne, acne scarring, scarring, sun-damaged skin, or wrinkled skin. 
     
     
         42 . A method of treating a vascular legion comprising the steps of:
 providing a laser device comprising a laser workstation comprising a first laser and a second laser, wherein the first laser and the second laser are driven by a single electronics drive system comprising a single energy storage network connected to a first laser pump chamber and connected to a second laser pump chamber, wherein the first laser pump chamber is operative to excite a first laser medium and the second laser pump chamber is operative to excite a second laser medium; and   treating a vascular legion by using the laser device to apply laser energy at 595 nm from the first laser to the vascular legion and using the laser device to apply laser energy at 1064 nm from the second laser to the vascular legion.   
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the first laser is a pulse dye laser and the second laser is a solid-state laser. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the second laser is an Nd:YAG laser.