Fractional CO 2 laser to improve noticeable scars after skin cancer surgery: An appraisal by the patients, laypersons, and experts

Ablative fractionated carbon dioxide (fCO2 ) laser may be a useful tool to improve noticeable scars after skin cancer surgery. Therefore we evaluated 40 patients who have been treated with fCO2 laser for facial scars after skin cancer surgery. This retrospective study is based on blinded evaluation of pre- and postoperative photographs. Patients (n = 40), laypersons (n = 5) and experts (n = 5) evaluated the esthetics and the Vancouver scar scale as primary endpoints. Secondary endpoints included patient satisfaction and treatment safety. Patients, laypersons and experts consistently assessed a significant improvement of scar quality and appearance after fCO2 laser treatment, which was paralleled by high patient satisfaction. In conclusion, ablative fCO2 laser is effective in improving noticeable postsurgical scars. Patients are highly satisfied with post-laser results. Keywords: facial scars; fractional CO2 laser treatment; skin cancer surgery