The effect of repeated laser stimuli to ink-marked skin on skin temperature—recommendations for a safe experimental protocol in humans
Background. Nd:YAP laser is widely used to investigate the nociceptive and pain systems, generating perpetual and laser-evoked neurophysiological responses. A major procedural concern for the use of Nd:YAP laser stimuli in experimental research is the risk of skin damage. The absorption of Nd:YAP la...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2016-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/1577.pdf |
| _version_ | 1827611156146028544 |
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| author | Victoria J. Madden Mark J. Catley Luzia Grabherr Francesca Mazzola Mohammad Shohag G. Lorimer Moseley |
| author_facet | Victoria J. Madden Mark J. Catley Luzia Grabherr Francesca Mazzola Mohammad Shohag G. Lorimer Moseley |
| author_sort | Victoria J. Madden |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background. Nd:YAP laser is widely used to investigate the nociceptive and pain systems, generating perpetual and laser-evoked neurophysiological responses. A major procedural concern for the use of Nd:YAP laser stimuli in experimental research is the risk of skin damage. The absorption of Nd:YAP laser stimuli is greater in darker skin, or in pale skin that has been darkened with ink, prompting some ethics boards to refuse approval to experimenters wishing to track stimulus location by marking the skin with ink. Some research questions, however, require laser stimuli to be delivered at particular locations or within particular zones, a requirement that is very difficult to achieve if marking the skin is not possible. We thoroughly searched the literature for experimental evidence and protocol recommendations for safe delivery of Nd:YAP laser stimuli over marked skin, but found nothing.Methods. We designed an experimental protocol to define safe parameters for the use of Nd:YAP laser stimuli over skin that has been marked with black dots, and used thermal imaging to assess the safety of the procedure at the forearm and the back.Results. Using thermal imaging and repeated laser stimulation to ink-marked skin, we demonstrated that skin temperature did not increase progressively across the course of the experiment, and that the small change in temperature seen at the forearm was reversed during the rest periods between blocks. Furthermore, no participant experienced skin damage due to the procedure.Conclusion. This protocol offers parameters for safe, confident and effective experimentation using repeated Nd:YAP laser on skin marked with ink, thus paving the way for investigations that depend on it. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:01:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e0d8df45b8a047edabef657f38c5626d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:01:03Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-e0d8df45b8a047edabef657f38c5626d2023-12-03T00:46:43ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592016-01-014e157710.7717/peerj.1577The effect of repeated laser stimuli to ink-marked skin on skin temperature—recommendations for a safe experimental protocol in humansVictoria J. Madden0Mark J. Catley1Luzia Grabherr2Francesca Mazzola3Mohammad Shohag4G. Lorimer Moseley5Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, AustraliaSansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, AustraliaSansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, AustraliaSansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, AustraliaSansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, AustraliaSansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, AustraliaBackground. Nd:YAP laser is widely used to investigate the nociceptive and pain systems, generating perpetual and laser-evoked neurophysiological responses. A major procedural concern for the use of Nd:YAP laser stimuli in experimental research is the risk of skin damage. The absorption of Nd:YAP laser stimuli is greater in darker skin, or in pale skin that has been darkened with ink, prompting some ethics boards to refuse approval to experimenters wishing to track stimulus location by marking the skin with ink. Some research questions, however, require laser stimuli to be delivered at particular locations or within particular zones, a requirement that is very difficult to achieve if marking the skin is not possible. We thoroughly searched the literature for experimental evidence and protocol recommendations for safe delivery of Nd:YAP laser stimuli over marked skin, but found nothing.Methods. We designed an experimental protocol to define safe parameters for the use of Nd:YAP laser stimuli over skin that has been marked with black dots, and used thermal imaging to assess the safety of the procedure at the forearm and the back.Results. Using thermal imaging and repeated laser stimulation to ink-marked skin, we demonstrated that skin temperature did not increase progressively across the course of the experiment, and that the small change in temperature seen at the forearm was reversed during the rest periods between blocks. Furthermore, no participant experienced skin damage due to the procedure.Conclusion. This protocol offers parameters for safe, confident and effective experimentation using repeated Nd:YAP laser on skin marked with ink, thus paving the way for investigations that depend on it.https://peerj.com/articles/1577.pdfLasersSafetyForearmSkin temperatureBackSkin |
| spellingShingle | Victoria J. Madden Mark J. Catley Luzia Grabherr Francesca Mazzola Mohammad Shohag G. Lorimer Moseley The effect of repeated laser stimuli to ink-marked skin on skin temperature—recommendations for a safe experimental protocol in humans PeerJ Lasers Safety Forearm Skin temperature Back Skin |
| title | The effect of repeated laser stimuli to ink-marked skin on skin temperature—recommendations for a safe experimental protocol in humans |
| title_full | The effect of repeated laser stimuli to ink-marked skin on skin temperature—recommendations for a safe experimental protocol in humans |
| title_fullStr | The effect of repeated laser stimuli to ink-marked skin on skin temperature—recommendations for a safe experimental protocol in humans |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of repeated laser stimuli to ink-marked skin on skin temperature—recommendations for a safe experimental protocol in humans |
| title_short | The effect of repeated laser stimuli to ink-marked skin on skin temperature—recommendations for a safe experimental protocol in humans |
| title_sort | effect of repeated laser stimuli to ink marked skin on skin temperature recommendations for a safe experimental protocol in humans |
| topic | Lasers Safety Forearm Skin temperature Back Skin |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/1577.pdf |
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