Langsung ke konten utama

Make no mistake, Cautery is different from lasers

There are many treatment procedures using cautery. This term is often considered similar to laser, but different. For more details, see the following review. The term cautery comes from Latin, which means clumping or destruction of tissue. Cautery procedure has actually been done since several years before Christ, to cut or destroy body tissue, and stop bleeding. In ancient times, cautery was carried out using hot objects, such as metals heated with hot coals or certain chemicals. Now, cautery is carried out by electric power (eletrocautery).

Mechanism of Cautery in the Medical Field

In eletrocautery, an electric current is passed through a high-resistance electrode wire. These electrodes will produce heat that can be attached to body tissues. In the medical field, cautery with electricity is usually used to:
  • Minor surgery on the skin, such as removing warts, skin tags, seborrheic keratosis, molluscum contagiosum, and syringoma.
  • Dry the tissue (electrodessication).
  • Blood clotting (electrocoagulation).
  • Cut tissue (electrosection). For example, to remove tumors, such as Kaposi's sarcoma.
  • As a method for laser circumcision.
In addition to electricity, cautery can also be performed with silver nitrate chemicals. Cautery with silver nitrate is usually used to treat thrush or nosebleeds. Not only silver nitrate, trichloroacetic acid chemicals can also be used for cautery procedures, namely to treat xanthelasma and ruptured eardrums.

Cautery is not the same as a laser

Many people mistakenly say that circumcision or treatment of small nodules on the face and neck is done by laser, when in fact what is used is cautery. In medical use, cautery and laser do have some similarities, but the principle works differently. Laser is a continuation of light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, which is light that is focused at one point, has a certain wavelength, and has high intensity. The laser beam is strong enough and can be used to cut, burn, or damage body tissue. This beam has high accuracy, so it can handle certain tissues without damaging the surrounding tissue. In the medical world, laser light is usually used to:
  • Certain cosmetic surgery procedures or procedures, such as plastic surgery, removing tattoos, scars, stretch marks, wrinkles, birthmarks, moles, and solar keratosis or actinic keratosis.
  • Remove hair on the body.
  • Medical procedures on the eye, such as LASIK, cataract surgery, and corneal and retinal surgery.
  • Dental procedures, such as teeth whitening and oral surgery.
  • Treat varicose veins and stop bleeding.
  • Major operations, such as removal of tumors, kidney stones, to enlargement of breast and prostate tissue.
  • Treat nerve disorders that cause postoperative pain.
  • Deadly tumor or cancer cells in certain body parts.
So, the basic difference between cautery and laser is the way it works. In addition, side effects on the tissue caused by cautery are greater than lasers. If you want to undergo a procedure that uses cautery or laser light, you should first ask your doctor clearly about how the tool works, its benefits, and the risks.

Komentar

Posting Komentar

Postingan populer dari blog ini

Know Lanugo, Fine Hair in Newborns

Seeing a baby born with thick hair will provide happiness for parents. However, what if fine hair also grows on other body parts, such as the back, arms and legs? This fine hair is commonly referred to as lanugo. Lanugo is fine hair that grows on the body of the fetus while still in the womb. The pigmented lanugo (colored) usually starts growing when the fetus enters the age of five months (around the age of 19 weeks). By the time of birth, some of this fine hair will fall. But in some cases, fine hair can still carry over until the baby is born. In general, lanugo functions as a protector of the fetus so it is not submerged in amniotic fluid, regulates fetal body temperature, protects the fetus's body, and makes it easier for waxy substances (vernix) to stick to the fetus's skin. Lanugo is more commonly seen in babies born prematurely. Is Lanugo in infants curable? Basically, the appearance of fine hair in babies is not a medical condition to worry about. The reason is, ...
Posting Komentar
Baca selengkapnya

Red Shiso Leaves to Maintain Body Cleanliness

To adopt a clean and healthy lifestyle, keeping your diet and regular exercise is not enough, you also need to maintain personal hygiene. Taking good care of your body's cleanliness can help you avoid various diseases. To adopt a clean and healthy lifestyle, one of the important steps you need to take is to take a shower regularly, at least twice a day. Bathing regularly not only prevents the problem of body odor, but also can remove dead skin cells, sweat, and dirt that sticks to the body. Steps to Implementing a Clean and Healthy Lifestyle To maintain personal hygiene and health, make sure you do the following: 1. Take a bath regularly As mentioned before, the first step you need to do is take a shower regularly at least twice a day. After doing strenuous activities like exercising, you are also advised to take a shower. This is so that sweat and dirt on the body lifted. 2. Brush your teeth regularly Similar to bathing, you are also advised to brush your teeth at least ...
Posting Komentar
Baca selengkapnya