| Title | One-pass CO2 versus multiple-pass Er:YAG laser resurfacing in the treatment of rhytides: a comparison side-by-side study of pulsed CO2 and Er:YAG lasers. | | Author(s) | Ross EV, Miller C, Meehan K, Pac , McKinlay J, Sajben P, Trafeli JP, Barnette DJ | | Institution | Dermatology Department, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, California 92134, USA. evross@nmcsd.med.navy | | Source | Dermatol Surg 2001 Aug; 27(8):709-15. | | MeSH | Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Carbon Dioxide
Comparative Study
Erythema
Female
Humans
Hyperpigmentation
Laser Surgery
Male
Middle Aged
Pain, Postoperative
Prospective Studies
Rhytidoplasty
Skin
Skin Aging
| | Abstract | BACKGROUND: The CO2 laser is normally described as an aggressive resurfacing tool, whereas the erbium:YAG laser has enjoyed a reputation as the ideal tool for superficial resurfacing. The implication from many studies is that the CO2 laser is incapable of "minimally invasive" resurfacing.
OBJECTIVE: To compare a short-pulsed CO2 laser with an Er:YAG laser over a range of parameters intended to produce equivalent microscopic and clinical injuries.
METHODS: A prospective, randomized, comparative interventional trial was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Thirteen patients with facial wrinkles were enrolled in the study. A side-by-side comparison was performed using periorbital and perioral regions as treatment sites. One side was treated with a pulsed CO2 laser and the other with an Er:YAG laser. Postauricular skin was treated in an identical fashion to the study sites and biopsied for microscopic analysis. The biopsies were obtained before treatment, immediately after treatment, and either 3 or 6 months after treatment to evaluate the acute level of injury and subsequent degree of fibroplasia. Photographs were taken at baseline, immediately after treatment, 1, 2, and 6 weeks, and 3 and 6 months after treatment. Nine physicians evaluated the photographs for erythema, pigmentation, and wrinkle improvement.
RESULTS: Investigator assessment showed no statistically significant differences between the lasers with respect to hyperpigmentation and wrinkle reduction. There was less erythema at the CO2 laser-treated sites 2 weeks after treatment; the differences had resolved by 6 weeks after treatment. Histologic examination demonstrated equivalent dermal thermal injury on immediate postoperative biopsies and equivalent fibroplasia on subsequent biopsies. Both CO2 and Er:YAG laser-treated sites showed overall modest wrinkle improvement compared to the pretreatment photographs.
CONCLUSION: When CO2 and Er:YAG lasers are used in a manner such that there are equivalent immediate postoperative histologic results, equivalent healing and cosmetic improvement occurs. One can use CO2 laser with one pass to mimic a moderately aggressive Er:YAG laser treatment. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Clinical Trial
Journal Article
Randomized Controlled Trial
| | PubMed ID | 11493293 |
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