Laser Therapy

When you hear "laser therapy" do you think of some sci-fi movie? If so, you're not alone. However, laser therapy has been around for quite some time. Albert Einstein was the first to discover lasers. Did you know that laser is actually an acronym? LASER stands for Light Amplification through Stimulated Emission of Radiation. There are many different kinds of lasers today. The one used in laser therapy emits a wavelength that penetrates through tissues like skin and muscle to promote healing. They are not capable of cutting through tissue like CO2 lasers do. The FDA first approved therapy laser treatment in 2002 for carpal tunnel syndrome in people. Since then, numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of laser therapy for conditions like wound healing, chronic inflammation of skin and joints, muscular pain, arthritis, and non-inflammatory alopecia (hair loss). 

Laser therapy is pain-free. In fact, many patients experience a slightly warm sensation, and may feel more relaxed during the treatment. This feeling may last for several hours afterwards as well. For most conditions, treatments should be done twice a week for 3-4 weeks, then once a week until healed. 

Veterinary Dermatology Consultation Services is pleased to offer laser therapy for dogs and cats with various skin conditions. 

Research articles on laser therapy:

Efficacy of low‐level laser therapy on hair regrowth in dogs with noninflammatory alopecia: a pilot study (Olivieri, et al) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/vde.12170

Low‐Intensity Laser Light‐Induced Closure of a Chronic Wound in a Dog (Lucroy, et al) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1053/jvet.1999.0292

Comparative Study Between the Effects of Photodynamic Therapy and Conventional Therapy on Microbial Reduction in Ligature‐Induced Peri‐Implantitis in Dogs (Hayek, et al) https://aap.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1902/jop.2005.76.8.1275

Low‐level laser therapy reduces time to ambulation in dogs after hemilaminectomy: a preliminary study (Draper, et al) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2012.01242.x

Effect of Multiple Exposures of Low-Level Laser Therapy on the Cellular Responses of Wounded Human Skin Fibroblasts (Hawkins, et al) https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/pho.2006.24.705

Low-level laser therapy: Case-control study in dogs with sterile pyogranulomatous pododermatitis (Perego, et al) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5021839/