Abstract
Scars result from the substitution of a damaged skin to a new and abnormal tissue following an injury. Ablative devices, including the Erbium and carbon dioxide lasers, have shown to be effective in improving the appearance of scars, including mature burn scars. The CO2 laser promotes thermal fractionated ablation of the skin, and the resultant selective healing stimuli improve the altered tissue. The scars, then, become more homogeneous with the surrounding skin. The carbon dioxide laser can be combined to other interventions to achieve optimal results. It can also be used to allow drug penetration into the dermis, homogeneously, a technique called drug delivery. It has been reported the use of drugs such as corticoids to reduce the hypertrophic scars and poli-l-latic acid (PLLA) to increase collagenesis in atrophic scars. In post-procedure/post-treatment and burn scars, the early use of the CO2 laser is important to remodel the tissue before the maturation of the scar, therefore bringing better cosmetic results. In this chapter, we will expatiate on the multiple kinds of scars, the ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser CO2 peculiarities and the approach of different types of scars through the use of this technology. We will also discuss the precautions to be taken before the procedure (pre-treatment), the procedure itself, the post-procedure/posttreatment care, the most commonly seen side effects and how to deal with them.
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Lage Bicalho Bretas, T., Tanus, A., Linhares, M., Issa, M.C.A. (2018). CO2 Laser for Scars. In: Issa, M., Tamura, B. (eds) Lasers, Lights and Other Technologies. Clinical Approaches and Procedures in Cosmetic Dermatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16799-2_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16799-2_13
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