Carbon Dioxide Laser Treatment for Scars

Scars, caused by trauma, surgery, or prolonged inflammation, can cause significant disfigurement, functional impairment, or psychological stress. While there are various modalities of treatment for scars, this chapter will focus on the treatment and prevention of atrophic, hypertrophic, and acne scars with a fractional CO2 laser, which is what the authors have used in their clinics. Compared to traditional fully ablative lasers, a fractional laser creates microscopic columns or thermal wounds of variable depths into the skin. This pattern of columns enables neocollagenesis, with fewer side effects and improvement in scars.