The revolution in laser technology has had a significant impact on medicine
in general and dermatology in particular and has piqued the interest of ph
ysicians, the lay public, and the media. Advances in laser therapy have dra
matically improved the clinicians' ability to treat cosmetic and noncosmeti
c skin lesions safely and effectively. The number and variety of skin probl
ems amenable to laser treatment continues to grow. We will provide a review
of the major cosmetic and therapeutic applications of laser therapy.