Evaluation of nonablative fractional laser treatment in scar reduction

Abstract

Fractional lasers have been used for the improvement of scar tissue in the recent years but there has not been extensive research on their impact. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of nonablative fractional laser (NAFL) on acne, burn, and surgery/traumatic scar. The scars were also categorized as atrophic, hypertrophic, and keloid, and treatment efficacy was investigated accordingly. This is a retrospective, single-center study. Scar tissues were treated using a nonablative fractional 1550-nm Erbium glass laser in high-energy parameters at 4-week interval for 4-8 sessions. The scar regression score (SRS) was used to determine the decrease in scar appearance. Forty-six patients with acne (n:18), burn (n:13), or surgery/traumatic (n:15) scar were included. The number of sessions was higher for burn patients while SRS in burn patients was lower than in patients with acne or a surgical/traumatic scar. Evaluation according to scar types showed that atrophic scars had a significantly better response to NAFL treatment. This study indicates that NAFL treatment with the high-energy parameters has better outcomes in atrophic acne scars, while the success rate is considerably low in post-burn and keloid scars.