SKIN RESURFACING WITH THE ULTRAPULSE CARBON-DIOXIDE LASER - OBSERVATIONS ON 100 PATIENTS

BACKGROUND. The Ultrapulse carbon dioxide (CO2) laser has been shown t o be a highly effective treatment for photodamaged skin including impr ovement of rhytides, precancerous and beni,on skin lesions, as well as superficial benign pigmented lesions. OBJECTIVE. We describe our expe riences using the Ultrapulse CO2 laser in treating 100 patients with d ifferent severities of photodamaged skin. METHODS. All patients had mo derately or severely photodamaged skin and were selected for treatment with the Ultrapulse CO2 laser to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity o f this treatment. The patients were placed on a pretreatment regimen f or 2-6 weeks prior to receiving treatment with the Ultrapulse CO2 lase r. Patients were evaluated for pre- and posttreatment severity of phot odamage. In addition, skin surface replicas were obtained in selected patients and evaluated by computer image analysis technology. RESULTS. At 1 month post-laser treatment, 68 patients received a moderate impr ovement, Jive patients achieved a marked improvement, and the remainin g 27 patients showed minimal improvement. By 2 months post-laser treat ment, 20 of the 27 patients who at I month showed only minimal improve ment revealed a moderate to marked improvement from baseline. All the patients studied developed a transient erythema that lasted tip to 6 w eeks, and many of these patients showed a transient hyperpigmentation that persisted for up to 4 months. CONCLUSION. The Ultrapulse CO2 lase r is confirmed as an effective treatment for skin resurfacing of photo damaged skin.