[CO2 laser skin resurfacing. Critical analysis of recent literature]

Over recent years, there appears to have been an explosion of public interest in facial rejuvenation. With the recent development of short-pulsed high-peak power and rapidly scanned carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers, it is now possible to remove photo-damaged skin precisely and reproducibly, while leaving behind a narrow zone of thermal damage. This development has generated tremendous interest in laser skin resurfacing as a technique to reverse photoaging. However, the overall review of the existing literature, except for very few publications, reveals several major methodological problems. The use of CO2 laser for cosmetic purposes is very recent and therefore requires further justification, standardization and regulation based on well designed studies. Most of the recent published data correspond to case reports, rather than well-designed scientific studies. For these reasons, this field needs more clinical trials and epidemiological investigations such as prospective cohorts or case-control studies, to provide new knowledge in this field.