The carbon dioxide laser (CO2 laser) was one of the earliest gas lasers to be developed

4. Applications 
A medical CO2 laser 
Because of the high power levels available (combined with reasonable cost for the laser), 
CO2 lasers are frequently used in industrial applications for cutting and welding, while 
lower power level lasers are used for engraving. They are also very useful in surgical 
procedures because water (which makes up most biological tissue) absorbs this 
frequency of light very well. Some examples of medical uses are laser surgery, skin 
resurfacing ("laser facelifts") (which essentially consist of burning the skin to promote 
collagen formation), and dermabrasion. Also, it could be used to treat certain skin 
conditions such as hirsuties papillaris genitalis by removing embarrassing or annoying 
bumps, podules, etc. Researchers in Israel are experimenting with using CO2 lasers to 
weld human tissue, as an alternative to traditional sutures. 
The common plastic poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) absorbs IR light in the 2.8–25 
µm wavelength band, so CO2 lasers have been used in recent years for fabricating 
microfluidic devices from it, with channel widths of a few hundred micrometers. 
Because the atmosphere is quite transparent to infrared light, CO2 lasers are also used 
for military rangefinding using LIDAR techniques. 
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