LASERS IN DERMATOLOGY

Lasers have many applications in dermatology. Recent developments in l aser technology have produced significant therapeutic advances in seve ral areas. The introduction of pulsed tunable dye lasers has considera bly improved the treatment of vascular lesions, particularly port wine stain malformations in children. A wider range of continuous-wave and quasi-continuous-wave lasers have also become available for treating vascular lesions, and their use in conjunction with automated delivery systems has improved results whilst reducing adverse effects. Increas ing interest in treatment of pigmented lesions and tattoos has led to investigation of a range of high-power short-pulse lasers, and early r esults look very promising. However, further work is needed in all the se areas to determine which lesions respond best to each laser system, and which treatment techniques are optimal.