Fraxel Laser for Burn Scars

In the January 2008 issue of the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology there is a case report of a 37 year old woman who had thickened significant keloid scars on her face and one hand after grease burns. After unsuccessful attempts at other treatments she was treated with 5 Fraxel Laser treatments at approximately monthly intervals.

It is unfortunate that the photos are not able to be copied for reproduction here, because the results are quite remarkable. While the scarring is not completely removed, the improvement in appearance is very dramatic. Improvement appears to be greater than 90%. While a variety of lasers have been advocated for scar improvement, this has to be one of the most impressive results I've seen. One has to take into account that this is a single case report and not a study of a series of patients. This might just be a one in a million result. In fact, there have been some studies of surgical scars where, immediately after surgery, 1/2 of the incision was treated with  the  Fraxel  and then the two halves of the  scar were compared after final healing. The Fraxel treated sides looked better, but the  results were not dramatic . One significant difference in the case reported is that the laser treatments were begun 20 months after the burn. What is clear is that, at times, the Fraxel laser can produce a dramatic improvement in scarring. It is also clear that  the optimal treatment parameters still need to be worked out.

Gerald N. Bock MD
Stockton, CA
California Skin Laser Center

Comments

[gabi]

Im a 26 year old woman and was burnt when i was 3 years old.Where can I go in South Africa for this Fraxel laser?