Comparison of four different lasers for acne scars: Resurfacing and fractional lasers

Fractional resurfacing in the Asian patient: Current state of the art

“…Although there is greater downtime associated with AFL, the clinical efficacy is generally viewed as superior to NAFL. A retrospective comparison of 58 patients receiving fractionated or non‐fractionated resurfacing demonstrated greatest clinical improvement in acne scars with non‐fractionated CO 2 , but ultimately no statistical difference between non‐fractionated CO 2 (Ultrapulse, Lumenis), non‐fractionated Er:YAG (Contour Er:YAG, Sciton, Palo Alto, CA), and fractionated CO 2 (eCO 2 , Lutronic) . Clinical improvement scores were significantly lower in the NAFL group (Fraxel SR 1500, Solta Medical) which received a mean of 4 ± 1.3 treatments.…”

Acne Protection: Measures & Miseries

“…CO2 and Er:YAG lasers are also effective for atrophic scars due to their ability to smooth scar texture and stimulate collagen production within facial atrophic scars, although patients must consider the potential for significant downtime as re-epithelialization typically takes 4 to 7 days with Er:YAG and 7 to 10 days with the CO2 laser. While requiring more downtime, ablative lasers usually produce a higher degree of clinical improvement [303,304]. For acne scars, previous head-to-head studies have suggested that CO2 laser produces superior results while Er:YAG is better tolerated with less downtime.…”

Modern Approaches to Skin Care

“…20 While the CO 2 laser has traditionally been considered superior, a recent comparison of resurfacing and fractional lasers in the treatment of acne scars by You et al demonstrated that Er:YAG and CO 2 lasers were equally effective in treating acne scars; however, the Er:YAG laser was associated with a significantly shorter healing time and decreased discomfort, erythema, and edema compared with the CO 2 laser. 21,22 However, bleeding did increase with continued use of the Er:YAG laser, as it lacks the ability to photocoagulate blood vessels in the same capacity as the CO 2 laser. Ablative lasers produce a dramatic effect though they are associated with prolonged recovery times due to their superficial destruction of the skin.…”