Laser Light Show

What do dermatologists, dentists, veterinarians and cardiovascular surgeons have in common? In early spring, they gather at the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) meeting to learn about the latest and greatest information regarding laser technology — a growing area of relevancy to each of these fields. Not that you’d necessarily have an interest in learning more about lasers in veterinary ophthalmology or would want to sit through a review of how to treat equine sarcoids. And I’m also not sure there are any veterinarians who would want to learn about how to eliminate unwanted body hair or discover the ins and outs of advanced laser skin resurfacing— although you never know with some of those French poodles . . . . “We pride ourselves on being a very diverse group,” explained ASLMS Secretary and longtime member of the society Richard Gregory, M.D.“This diversity generates an exchange of information that you can’t get anywhere else,” said Dr. Gregory, who is a plastic surgeon in private practice in Celebration, FL. “It’s the only meeting I know of where doctors can listen to scientists discuss laser technology in the pipeline and where scientists can get access to doctors’ clinical findings to help them get more of a real-world understanding of how different technologies perform.” Since it’s our 4th Annual Laser Surgery Issue, I decided to explore how the ASLMS got started. Here’s a little bit about what I learned. Back at the beginning The ASLMS got its start 23 years ago back in March of 1979. Drs. Ellet H. Drake and Leon Goldman, the father of laser medicine in the United States, created the society to foster an exchange of knowledge between physicians and scientists. They purposely included not only a variety of physicians but also researchers from the following backgrounds: - biophysics - biochemistry - biomedical engineering - laser biology - laser safety. Some of the goals were to have these groups of people explore new uses for existing laser equipment and generate new medical lasers and equipment. Back then, the first meeting was held in 1981 in San Diego and close to 150 respected physicians and scientists gathered from around the world. A look at today’s crowd Today, the ASLMS is the “world’s largest scientific organization dedicated to promoting research, education and high standards of clinical care in the field of medical laser applications,” according to the group’s Web site, which you can access at www.aslms.org. This year’s meeting attracted more than 1,200 participants and included numerous courses, poster presentations and exhibitors. Beginning on page 44, we offer some of the highlights of this year’s meeting — just the portions that are relevant to dermatology. Don’t worry, there’s no coverage of CO2 laser effects on dental hard tissues or laser video otoscopy in veterinary medicine. In addition to these highlights, our annual laser surgery issue takes a look at the following: u how you can safely treat ethnic skin u advice for capturing your patients’ enthusiasm regarding cosmetic laser procedures u care tips for post-operative laser surgery patients. We hope you’ll find this year’s laser surgery issue relevant to your practice and patients. New realm of patients? And, if you’re looking for more information, consider attending next year’s ASLMS meeting. Just think, you could always sit in on a few talks meant for the dentists and veterinarians. Hey, maybe you could develop a new practice niche — cosmetic dental surgery for pets. “Fifi, c’mere girl.”