[Ablative and fractional lasers]

The use of pulsed or scanning Carbon Dioxide, and pulsed Erbium-YAG lasers allows the programmable and reproducible photocoagulation of thin layers of the epidermis and superficial dermis. Thermal damage depends on the type of laser and is greater with CO(2) lasers. The degree of neocollagenesis is proportional to the thermal damage and is better with CO(2) lasers. Their main indication is the correction of photoaged facial skin but they can also be used for corrective dermatology, e.g. for scars and genodermatosis. Results are highly satisfactory but the technique is invasive and the patient experiences a social hindrance of around two weeks. Fractionated techniques treat 25% of the defective skin area at each session in noncontiguous microzones; four sessions are therefore necessary to treat the entire cutaneous surface. The treatment is given under topical anesthesia and is much less invasive, particularly with nonablative fractional laser treatment in which photothermolysis does not penetrate below the epidermis and/or the effects are slight, with no or very little social isolation. However, the results are much less satisfactory than the results of ablative laser and there is no firming effect. Other zones than the face can be treated. With the fractional CO(2) and Erbium ablative lasers, which have multiplied over the past 2 years, the much wider impacts cause perforation of the epidermis and there is a zone of ablation by laser photovaporization, with a zone of thermal damage below. The results are better in correcting photoaging of the face, without, however, achieving the efficacy of ablative lasers, which remain the reference technique. However, the effects are not insignificant, requiring at least 5 days of social isolation.