Carbon dioxide laser could be the fix for photoaging or skin damaged by the sun

Nov 16 2004

Excessive exposure to the sun early in life can make a person look older than he/she really is. Premature wrinkling and skin damage from sun exposure is also called photoaging. Photoaging, unlike natural aging, results in course, dry skin, freckling, skin discoloration, leathery skin, and deep wrinkles.

Now a new procedure that uses a carbon dioxide laser passed over the surface of the skin, improves the look of skin that has been damaged by the sun.

A study, involving 28 patients aged 48 to 78 years old, found that the laser resurfacing produced changes in the skin’s composition and that it was “clearly efficacious in producing cosmetic improvements in patients’ skin.”

Higher volume injections of botulinum exotoxin A at lower concentrations affects a larger area near the injection site. “In the present study, we saw an approximate 50 percent increase in area simply by increasing the volume five-fold. The results indicate that we can add another level of sophistication to the use of botulinum exotoxin A by varying levels of precision. To treat larger, confluent areas, such as the forehead, a larger volume can be used to achieve more spread,” the authors write.

In patients undergoing treatment for facial wrinkles using a carbon dioxide laser, the pairing of a focused stream of cold air with the laser during treatment made the procedure less painful. Eight patients were treated in the study—half of each patient’s face was treated with the carbon dioxide laser alone, and the other half was treated with the laser and cold-air cooling. “In summary, the present method of using air cooling along with single-pass CO2 laser skin resurfacing is an effective technique,” write the researchers. “Without exception, all patients felt that the treatment on the side that was cooled with air was much more pleasant.”

Acne scars, which are often permanent, can be reduced using the nonablative 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. Eleven patients with acne scars were treated with the laser during five treatment sessions at three-week intervals. The patients were assessed after three sessions, and at one, three and six months after the fifth treatment session. “In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser provides a safe and effective non-invasive treatment for mild to moderate facial acne scarring. The results are long lasting and continue well beyond the last treatment, indicating ongoing collagen remodeling after completion of the laser treatment sessions.”