Tel Aviv University researchers in Israel claim to have perfected a technique called "laser welding", in which carbon dioxide lasers are used to seal and heal wounds.

The breakthrough work can reduce may reduce the likelihood of infection and permanent scarring, which are associated with suturing and microsurgery techniques.

Prof. Abraham Katzir, a member of the university's Applied Physics Group, says that their work may change the way surgeons bond cuts on the surface of skin and inside the body during surgery.

Some doctors tried using a carbon dioxide laser to seal wounds earlier also, but they lacked the ability to control the heat of the laser, and thus their technique posed even greater risks.

Katzir says that his team has created a device that can heat body tissue in a precisely controlled manner.

He says that with the new device, if the laser begins to overheat and risks burning the tissue, laser power is reduced.

He adds that laser power increases when the temperature is too low to complete a closure.

With this work, Prof. Katzir has become the first researcher to apply the carbon dioxide laser, coupled to optical fibres, for wound closure under a tight temperature control.

He has revealed that the unique optical fibres deliver the laser's energy to heat the bonded cut and are used for controlling the temperature.

According to him, the fibres also make it possible to bond tissues inside the body.