BACKGROUND Self-inflicted skin ulcers and scars are often observed in patients with compulsive skin picking. The term "neurotic excoriation" has been used to describe this condition and may or may not coexist with other true skin pathologies, such as acne. The condition poses a diagnostic and treatment challenge because patients often also have an undiagnosed underlying psychologic disorder. ...

electronic state because of the relatively large number of other states of He2 lying within kT of the 3p 3IIg • n is interesting to note that the collection of statistically significant data is limited at both high and low pumping intensities. In the former case, the use of an excessively intense correlated source appears to cause progressively shorter lifetimes of the enhanced population as th...

To date nearly all LII is carried out using Q-switched, flashlamp pumped Nd/YAG lasers with pulse lengths ~10 ns. Although these lasers are well developed and readily available for use in the laboratory and in commercial instruments, they are bulky, inefficient and often the most costly part of an LII system. Cheaper, more compact lasers are becoming available, but very few are able to match th...