Laser surgery uses laser light to remove tissue, remove diseased tissue, or treat bleeding blood vessels. Laser surgery may also be used for cosmetic purposes. A laser is a light beam that can be precisely focused. It is used to treat tissues by heating the targeted cells until they ‘burst’. There are several types of lasers, each with specific uses. The colour of the light beam used is related to the type of surgery being performed and the colour of the tissue being treated. Laser surgery can be used to: close small blood vessels to reduce blood loss; remove warts, moles, sunspots and tattoos; reduce the appearance of skin wrinkles, scars and other skin blemishes; remove dilated blood vessels from the face; remove hair; remove pre-cancerous lesions on the skin (actinic keratoses). Some laser surgery is done when you are under general anaesthesia.