Use of laser in aesthetics

In aesthetic surgery different laser systems may be considered as an alternative, or as an adjunct to conventional treatments. Well established, and today a must, is the treatment of port wine stains (PWS) with argon, argon dye, pumped dye, or copper vapor lasers. In many other indications such as the treatment of scars and keloids the laser gives results superior to conventional surgery and other physical modalities. In other aesthetic procedures at the moment the laser should be regarded as an alternative, though not necessarily superior tool, for those already familiar with lasers. In this paper we discuss the workings of several lasers and some cases that our group has performed with the lasers. We have learned that certain lasers are more appropriate for some dermatologic applications than for others.