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Optimal Timing of Fractional CO 2 Laser on Cleft Lip Scars: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Cohort Study
Haoshu Chi1, Xinran Zhao1, Lingyue Shen2
1Department of Oral and Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Objective:
To determine the optimal time to apply a fractional CO 2 laser for the treatment of postsecondary repair scars in patients with cleft lip.
Methods:
Forty-two patients with linear scarring after cleft lip repair were recruited from November 2021 to October 2022. A single-blind, randomized, controlled cohort study was conducted to examine the impact of fractional CO 2 laser treatment compared with conventional conservative treatment. Thirty patients started laser treatment at 1 month ( n = 10), 3 months ( n = 10), and 6 months ( n = 10) postoperatively, and 12 patients were in the control group. Each patient was treated with high-energy low-density fractional CO 2 laser treatment 3 times at an interval of 1 month. The Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) was used for scar evaluation to determine vascularity, pigmentation, pliability, and height.
Results:
The VSS scores decreased significantly after laser treatment ( p < .05), with the most significant improvement in scars in the group that started treatment 1 month after the surgery.
Conclusion:
Early postoperative fractional CO 2 laser treatment of cleft lip scars is more effective than later treatment.
