POWER

Power is essentially the number of photons a laser emits every second. Most of these conversations miss the mark on what power means and how less than crucial it is in laser therapy. To put it into perspective, imagine a laser operating at a wavelength of 630 nm and a power output of 5 mW. This is approximately 1.597×10^16 photons are emitted by the laser per second. 

Increasing the power of a laser doesn’t necessarily mean better results. Why? Because no matter how impressive the photon count sounds, if the energy of those photons is too low to initiate the photochemical reaction, then the desired effect will not occur. In essence, it’s not about “more power.” Much like an overpowered muscle car will just spin out and burn the tires and not get very far doing so.



ENERGY

Electron volts is the unit of energy. Essentially, an electron volt (eV) is the amount of energy gained by an electron when it’s zipping through an electric potential difference—kind of like a roller coaster ride for electrons. Picture this: each electron gets a boost of energy as it accelerates from “rest” to “excited,” thanks to this electric potential difference.

But why does this matter? Well, this electrifying journey is what stimulates our cells and triggers that magical photochemical response we’re all after. In other words, it’s the spark that ignites the healing process within our bodies. 

The lasers we use have multiple wavelengths. Each wavelength boasts its own unique electron volt (eV) output, and only precise matches of energy will kickstart those vital protein complexes within the mitochondria. The Electron Transport Chain (ETC), the motor in our cells is where all the magic of laser therapy unfolds.