Pigmentation measurement could improve laser safety standards across skin tones
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have found that skin pigmentation significantly influences laser injury thresholds, with darker skin showing inflammation at lower energy levels. These findings could lead to more inclusive and safer medical laser safety standards.
Why it matters
Current laser safety guidelines often fail to account for skin tone, potentially leading to unequal medical outcomes; this research provides the data needed to fix that disparity.
edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Add as preferred source The development of blanching and erythema after laser exposure in dark- and light-skinned swine. Darker-skinned swine developed visible erythema at lower laser energy levels, showing that skin pigmentation influences laser injury thresholds. Credit: Johns Hopkins University Lasers are used in a growing number of medical and imaging applications, from surgery to photoacoustic imaging. To protect patients, safety guidelines define the maximum amount of laser energy that can be delivered to the skin without causing injury. However, these limits do not account for differences in skin pigmentation.
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