Fractional Laser Treatment of Burn and Traumatic Scars for Functional Improvement

Hypertrophic scars and keloids are cutaneous lesions resulting from abnormal wound healing. There is no gold standard therapy for hypertrophic scars and keloids, and treatment frequently involves multiple techniques including pharmacotherapy, compression, surgery, radiation, and light sources. For scars and keloids impairing function, fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) ablative laser treatment is proposed to improve abnormal texture, thickness, and stiffness of scars by ablative destruction and resurfacing. The treatment may be used as monotherapy or in combination with other therapies (e.g., sequential treatment with other lasers, sequential treatment with other therapies, or laser-assisted drug delivery).