The cosmetic outcomes of cutaneous excisions performed with the diamond laser scalpel are equivalent to excisions performed with steel scalpels with electrocoagulation for hemostasis. The diamond laser scalpel scored higher on intra-operative coagulation ( P = 0.20) although these differences were not statistically significant. ![]() Investigator assessment showed no statistically significant differences between the diamond laser scalpel side and the steel scalpel side with respect to bleeding, bruising, swelling, pain, dehiscence, or final scar appearance. Histologic evaluation was performed on all excisions for collateral thermal damage. The final scar was evaluated at 8–12 weeks for cosmetic outcome and three physicians blinded to the method of excision evaluated photographs of the wounds. Blinded assessment of adverse events and photographs were taken at 1 day, 7–10 days, 4 weeks, and 8–12 weeks. The Clinicon SureBlade diamond laser scalpel was used with the Luxar CO 2 attachment at the 6–8-W settings. With, at least so far, the only studied difference being that obsidian creates less scarring. ago The main things holding them back is that they’re expensive and much more prone to breaking compared to steel. Fusiform excisions were performed using the diamond laser scalpel on one half of each excision and a steel scalpel with electrocoagulation for hemostasis on the other half. I remember reading about Obsidian scalpels, and how wildly sharp they are, even compared to modern scalpels Somehow-Still-Living 15 min. Study Design/Materials and MethodsĪ prospective and randomized, comparative trial was conducted on eighteen patients. In Neolithic times trepanation - or drilling a hole into the skull - was thought to be a cure for everything from epilepsy to migraines.To compare the cutaneous wound healing using the diamond laser scalpel with wound healing using a steel scalpel and electrocoagulation for hemostasis. It could even have been a form of emergency surgery for battle wounds.īut while there is still conjecture about the real reasons behind the mysterious procedure, what is known is that the implement often used to carry out the primitive surgery was made from one of the sharpest substances found in nature - obsidian. Obsidian - a type of volcanic glass - can produce cutting edges many times finer than even the best steel scalpels.Īt 30 angstroms - a unit of measurement equal to one hundred millionth of a centimeter - an obsidian scalpel can rival diamond in the fineness of its edge. When you consider that most household razor blades are 300-600 angstroms, obsidian can still cut it with the sharpest materials nano-technology can produce.Įven today, a small number of surgeons are using an ancient technology to carry out fine incisions that they say heal with minimal scarring.ĭr. Lee Green, professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta, says he routinely uses obsidian blades. ![]() “It makes for the best cosmetic outcome.” “The biggest advantage with obsidian is that it is the sharpest edge there is, it causes very little trauma to tissue, it heals faster and more importantly it heals with less scarring,” he said. He explained that steel scalpels at a microscopic level have a rough cutting edge that tears into tissue, a function of the crystals that make up the metal. Obsidian, meanwhile, cleaves into a fine and continuous edge when properly cut.ĭr. Green said he once helped documentary makers produce a program on surgical technology in ancient Egyptian, setting up a blind test on the cutting power of obsidian. Using cultured-skin burn dressing, a substance composed of skin cells, he made an incision with a modern scalpel and a parallel incision with an obsidian scalpel. The host of the program was then invited to look at the cuts under a video microscope and tell the difference. “Under the microscope you could see the obsidian scalpel had divided individual cells in half, and next to it the steel scalpel incision looked like it had been made by a chainsaw.” “It wasn’t hard to tell the difference at all - as soon as he turned around everyone in the studio was like ‘Ohhh’,” Dr. Modern obsidian scalpels look nothing like the decorative flint-knapped knives of Neolithic man, often resembling their modern counterparts in everything except for the blade edge, but Dr.
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