SELECTIVE PHOTOTHERMOLYSIS (SP) IS A PRECISE PULSED-LIGHT MICROSURGERY METHOD, DESCRIBED BY ANDERSON AND PARRISH IN A PAPER PUBLISHED BY SCIENCE IN 1983 FOR TREATING LIGHT-ABSORPTIVE LESIONS AND UNWANTED PIGMENTS IN HUMAN TISSUE WITH MINIMAL COLLATERAL DAMAGES. LIGHT SOURCE WITH TUNABLE WAVELENGTH FOR SP IS THE MOST DESIRABLE FEATUER. HOWEVER, SUCH A LIGHT SOURCE IS NOT YET AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, LIGHT PULSE-WIDTH AND LIGHT PULSE ENERGY ARE CRITICAL FOR SP SURGICAL OUTCOME. THIS INVENSION DISCLOSES TECHNIQUES, APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR OPTIMIZING SP SURGICAL OUTCOME. THE SAME TECHNIQUES APPLY TO SP SURGICAL SYSTEMS USING OTHER RADIATION SOURCES. SOME TECHNIQUES APPLY TO GENERAL SURGICAL SYSTEMS THAT HEAT UP LESIONS IN TISSUE, INCLUDING HIGH-INTENSITY-FOCUSED-ULTRASOUND THERAPIES.
