Lasers in the treatment of acne scars

Acne scars occur as one of the complications of acne vulgaris. A number of therapeutic options are available. Lasers are most useful for grades 2 and 3 acne scars according to the scale put forth by Goodman and colleagues. Nonablative lasers are most appropriate for grade 2 scars, while ablative las...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inExpert Review of Dermatology Vol. 6; no. 1; pp. 45 - 60
Main Authors Choudhary, Sonal, McLeod, Michael, Meshkov, Lauren, Nouri, Keyvan
Format Journal Article Book Review
LanguageEnglish
Published London Taylor & Francis 01.02.2011
Expert Reviews Ltd
Informa Healthcare
Subjects
ablative lasers
Acne
acne scars
classification of acne scars
Complications and side effects
erbium:YAG lasers
fractional lasers
lasers
Lasers in medicine
microthermal zones
nonablative lasers
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Summary:Acne scars occur as one of the complications of acne vulgaris. A number of therapeutic options are available. Lasers are most useful for grades 2 and 3 acne scars according to the scale put forth by Goodman and colleagues. Nonablative lasers are most appropriate for grade 2 scars, while ablative lasers should be used to treat grade 3 acne scars. Fractional lasers have been developed in an effort to improve the efficacy observed with nonablative lasers, yet reduce the side effects of ablative lasers. Ablative fractional lasers ablate through the epidermis, while nonablative fractional lasers leave the epidermis largely untouched, instead targeting the dermo-epidermal junction. More studies are required to determine the exact placement of fractional lasers in the clinician's armamentarium.
ISSN:1746-9872
1746-9880
DOI:10.1586/edm.10.65