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Lasers for Scar Reduction

Laser surgery has become an effective option for scar reduction for the skin. The early uses of the laser procedure were for keloids and hypertrophic scars, which were caused by the continued growth of scar tissue after a wound had healed. Today laser procedure has expanded, to strength marks, deep wounds, chicken pot scars, acne and much more. Modern laser procedure targets the layer under the skin to stimulate collagen under the scar to form new skin to cover the scar. Vaporizing laser procedure expose a natural skin layer by removing the top layer of skin.

  1. The Facts

    • The body has a natural reaction to scaring by producing collagen to cover the affected area. Collagen is also called scar tissue, which can potentially grow longer, deeper and cause additional damage to the surrounding skin. On the opposite side, not enough scar tissue may form over the scar. The best result in laser scar reduction surgery is when the scar expands because of the continued growth of the scar tissue instead of the reduction of collagen produced over the skin.

    Types:

    • There are a number of lasers used in scar reduction. The pulsed dye is commonly and effectively used for keloid scars. It helps the reduction of inflammation in hypertrophic scars and reduces itching. The pulsed dye laser is also known for resurfacing the indentation of indent scars. The CO2 laser is a type of laser that is most effective for acne scars. This particular laser procedure has a substantially longer recovery time as it is like a sandblaster, blasting the scars away. The ER: YAG laser is another type of laser that is less ablative than CO2, which results in less damage and a shorter recovery. CO2 and ER: YAG are both ablative lasers, which is used to burn off the skin's surface.

    Time Frame

    • After laser scar reduction surgery, the area worked on is usually red and tender. This occurs immediately after the surgery because the scarred skin has been lasered off and new skin is growing in layers over the area. Blisters and pain may occur but usually only briefly following the surgery. Your scars should begin to heal by regenerating new skin within four days. More extensive procedures and the use of lasers with a burning mechanism will require more time to recover.

    Benefits

    • The effectiveness of scar reduction surgery is the most important benefit. Starting in the 1990s, modern technology has lowered the risk of potential injuries and increased the rate of patient satisfaction in laser scar reduction procedures. Compared to other forms of scar reduction such as creams, tummy tucks and other procedures, laser surgery may have a more tangible result as well as having lower costs and recovery time. More recently, laser surgery has been used for tattoo removal.

    Warning

    • Laser scar removal does not come without risk. When a laser is not used correctly it can ablate the skin, which superficially causes tissue damage. There is also no guarantee that reduction surgery will complete remove the scars in severely entrenched strength marks or raise completely indented scars. There are other possible risks or reactions to scar reduction surgery such as blistering, pain, infection or allergic reactions. In laser scar reduction hyper-pigmentation or hypo-pigmentation is the most common side effect.

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