Evaluating the Effect of Laser Angle on Laser Therapies for Burns

Burns account for a significant number of injuries worldwide. Scarring caused by burns lead to cosmetic issues and reduce the quality of life for the patient. To improve scarring, several methods are used clinically, including compression, laser therapy, and anti-fibrotic injections. Laser treatment is currently heavily utilized despite definitive evidence to support its efficacy. It has been hypothesized that the ablative wells created by fractional carbon dioxide (FXCO2) laser therapy causes tissue relaxation and tissue remodeling leading to more pliable, smoother scars. In an effort to induce maximum tissue relaxation, we investigated the role of laser angle on tissue mechanics in vitro and in vivo. Findings from a porcine animal study show that laser treatment was not effective in healing burn scars and that laser angle showed no differentiation in healing. This experiment looks at the efficacy of laser treatment in an in-vitro setting. The experiment creates a more controlled environment and can help prove if laser treatment works in a more ideal setting. Aligned collagen scaffolds are inoculated with fibroblasts to create similar conditions to that of skin and the ECM that forms upon healing. Laser treatments on these scaffolds, similar to that of previous experimentation will determine the potential for laser treatment to be used on scars. Overall, non-lasered samples reported higher linear stiffness than lasered samples by about 33%. Between lasered groups, there was no difference in stiffness found. These findings confirm results found in the animal study, showing that laser angle does not have an effect on wound healing for burns.No embargoAcademic Major: Materials Science and Engineerin