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Pulsed dye, carbon dioxide ablative fractional laser treatments improve surgical scars

In comparing pulsed dye laser to carbon dioxide ablative fractional laser for the treatment of surgical scars, pulsed dye laser was more effective in scar color correction, but ablative fractional laser showed better results for scar contour.

Fourteen patients with 2-week old Mohs micrographic surgical scars were enrolled in the randomized, prospective, comparative study. Half of each scar was treated with a 10,600-nm carbon dioxide ablative fractional laser (AFL), and half was treated with a 595-nm pulsed dye laser (PDL). Two independent, blinded, nontreating physicians evaluated the cosmetic outcomes at baseline and 2 months after the last treatment using the Vancouver Scar Scale.

The improvements observed after treatment with each laser type were significant; however, AFL outperformed PDL in the improvement of scar pliability and thickness, whereas PDL showed superiority in the improvement of vascularity and pigmentation, according to the researchers.

Overall scar improvement between the two groups was not statistically different based on the Vancouver Scar Scale, the researchers concluded.

Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.