Wet gauze in CO2 laser resurfacing

✍ Scribed by May-Sen Lee; Michelle Hunt; Shawn Richards

• Book ID: 104468958
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 101 KB
• Volume: 40
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-8380
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-0960.1999.00371.x

✦ Synopsis

SUMMARY

The development of scanning CO~2~ laser systems has enabled rapid and uniform facial resurfacing in photoaged and acne scarred skin. A problem faced by the laser surgeon is making the scanner pattern produced by these lasers fit the cosmetic unit to be resurfaced. This may be achieved by the use of wet gauze to absorb the energy of the unwanted portion of the scanner pattern. The wet gauze is folded to lie along the cosmetic unit boundary and the scanner pattern rotated until it conforms to the required shape.

On the eyelids, saline soaked cotton tipped applicators are used to lift the eyelashes away from the path of the laser beam. This allows treatment of the entire lower eyelid cosmetic unit without damage to the eyelashes.