Laser scar revision: A review

Surgery, burns, wounds, and inflammatory processes can lead to the development of a variety of different scars. Scars are categorized as hypertrophic, keloid, atrophic and acne scars. Different treatments are utilized for each scar type. The evolution of scar treatment has led to the advancement of lasers for the improvement of all scar types. Non-ablative lasers such as the pulsed dye laser have been shown to be effective in the treatment of hypertrophic and erythematous scars. Ablative lasers, the carbon dioxide (CO2) and erbium: YAG (Er:YAG), were some of the first lasers that were proven to be effective in the treatment of atrophic acne scars. Further developments in laser technology have led to non-ablative and ablative fractional devices that improve scar appearance and are better tolerated than ablative CO2 and Er:YAG. This article will review scars and the laser options for scar revision.