Journal
LASERS IN SURGERY AND MEDICINE
Volume 35, Issue 2, Pages 146-151Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/lsm.20080
Keywords
collagen denaturation; collagen remodeling; myofibroblast; non-ablative laser skin resurfacing
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Background and Objective: Deep coagulation of skin collagen by Er:YAG laser repetitive pulses has been predicted by previous theoretical models and later demonstrated on animal skin. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of repetitive Er:YAG laser pulses on human skin and its response to this treatment. Study Design/Materials and Methods: Lid skin of six female volunteers with blepharochalasis has been treated with laser at day 0, 7, and 21 before elective surgery-blepharoplasty. The treated skin was excised as part of the procedure and prepared for further histological examination. We used a 2,940 nm Er:YAG laser (Fidelis M320A by Fotona) with 'smooth' mode parameters: fluence from 0.50 to 2.00 J/cm(2); six pulses per packet; 550 musecond/pulse, 250 millisecond/packet; single pass, no overlapping; spot size 5 mm; repetition rate 20 Hz. Results: We observed deep collagen denaturation at laser fluences of 1.25 J/cm2 and over; epidermal damage was proportional to fluence with total coagulation of the epidermal layer at fluences of 1.75 J/cm(2) and over. At day 7 after laser treatment we observed a complete regeneration of the epidermal layer and a regeneration zone within the dermis with prominent infiltration of CD68+ monocytes/macrophages. At day 21 after laser treatment we observed collagen remodeling and (myo-)fibroblast proliferation at tissue depths of up to 240 mum. Conclusions: Repetitive Er:YAG laser irradiation is effective in deep denaturation and remodeling of human skin collagen in vivo, with less epidermal damage compared to standard Er:YAG laser skin resurfacing. (C) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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