MY PUBLICATIONS

MY FIRST PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATION

My first research group was in the Canniesburn Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Glasgow as part of the University of Strathclyde BioEngineering Unit's medical laser research team. This group was the first to develop scar-free tattoo removal using a Q-switched ruby laser at 694nm. The work began in 1981 and we published this report in 1990 in the British Journal of Plastic Surgery.

​

Click here to see a copy of this report.

QS RUBY LASER TREATMENT OF CHINESE PIGMENTED LESIONS

I wrote this paper on the flight to Taipei where one of our customers was using the QS ruby laser to treat a range of pigmented lesions in mostly Chinese skin types.

​

Click here for this report.

TREATMENT OF PORT WINE STAINS BY LASER

In the 1980s and 90s we helped to develop the treatment of paediatric port wine stains with a pulsed dye laser in Canniesburn Hospital, Glasgow. We wrote an interim report on our findings in 1992.

​

Click here to see it.

THERMAL RELAXATION TIMES

My colleague and fellow investigator, PA Torstensson, and I think that the thinking behind thermal relaxation times is not quite right. It is poorly understood and tells only 'half' the story.

​

Click here for more.

REDUCING THE PAIN FELT DURING LASER TATTOO REMOVAL PROCEDURES

Back in 2014 I developed a simple and inexpensive technique using microscope slides to reduce the pain felt during laser tattoo removal, by up to 50%.

​

Here are my observations.

VASCULAR DAMAGE CAUSED BY QS ND:YAG LASER AT 532NM

Blood can absorb a lot of energy at 532nm. With Q-switched lasers this can easily lead to rupture of the capillaries. So, I investigated this further...

​

Here's what I found.

TATTOO INK PARTICLES FLY OUT OF THE SKIN AT HIGH SPEED

During my 'pain experiments' above  I also discovered, by accident, that minute particles of tattoo ink fly out of the skin at very high speeds during laser treatments. I took some interesting photos of what I found.

​

Here's my report.

LASER-GENERATED PLUME

Laser/IPL treatments on the skin can generate nasty particulates in the air which operators may breathe in. This has lead to various concerns around the world about the safety of laser operators. As a direct result, my colleague, Dr Z Adam, and I formed the UK Council for Surgical Plume.

​

Here is my article, which I wrote for Aesthetic Medicine.

MASKING TECHNIQUE FOR IPL TREATMENT OF VASCULAR AND PIGMENTED LESIONS

A couple of years ago I developed a very easy and inexpensive technique for the treatment of small, discrete lesions such as 'blood spots' or pigmented marks. I used a standard wooden spatula with a small hole drilled in it. By adopting this approach, it is easy to target small lesions without damaging the surrounding skin with a IPL. It is also much less painful!

​

Here is my article on this.

REOPENING AFTER COVID LOCKDOWNS

I was asked to contribute to an article written by the British Medical Laser Association on how to safely re-open after a Covid lockdown.

​

Here's our report.

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE SAFE?

Using lasers in a clinical setting can be dangerous! Class 4 lasers are very powerful and can easily damage the retina. Here is an article I wrote discussing some of the more important points to look out for.

​

Click here to read it.

RADIO FREQUENCY TREATMENTS

Radio frequency is a technique which utilises electric current to stimulate the muscles below the skin layer. Proper application of RF can result in some excellent skin tightening results.

​

Click here to see this article.