Bipolar Fractional Radiofrequency Treatment of Suprapatellar Skin Assessment Using Noninvasive Devices and Microbiopsy.

Background: Noninvasive treatments for skin tightening are gaining popularity. However, no studies have assessed bipolar fractional radiofrequency treatment on suprapatellar skin.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of bipolar fractional radiofrequency treatment on suprapatellar skin.

The Effects of Aesthetic Lasers on Three Study Materials Used for Ocular Protection.

Background: It is dangerous, although not uncommon, in some clinical settings for laser operators to place gauze underneath external patient protective eyewear when performing laser procedures.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate 4 lasers, commonly used for aesthetic facial procedures, on 3 materials commonly found in the clinical setting.

Methods: We performed tests with 4 lasers: the 2940-nm erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) laser, the 532-nm potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser, the 1064-nm neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser, and a Lumenis UltraPulse 10,600-nm carbon dioxide (CO2) laser.

Treating Hypertrophic Burn Scar With 2940-nm Er:YAG Laser Fractional Ablation Improves Scar Characteristics as Measured by Noninvasive Technology.

Their group previously demonstrated high-patient satisfaction for the treatment of hypertrophic burn scar (HBS) with the erbium: yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) laser, but this and other literature supporting the practice suffer from a common weakness of a reliance on subjective assessments by patients or providers. Herein, they sought to prospectively study the effects of Er:YAG fractional ablation on HBS using noninvasive, objective technologies to measure outcomes. Patients with HBS had identical regions of scar designated for treatment by the Er:YAG laser (TREAT) or to be left untreated (CONTROL).

Impact of a Laser Service Line for Burn Scar on a Dedicated Burn OR's Flow and Productivity.

Our group began performing erbium-YAG 2940 wavelength fractional resurfacing of burn scar in our burn center's dedicated burn operating room (OR) in January 2016. The impact of these procedures on the performance of a mature, dedicated burn OR is unknown. All burn OR cases performed between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015 served as a pre-laser (PRE-LSR) historical control.

Patient satisfaction after fractional ablation of burn scar with 2940nm wavelength Erbium-Yag laser.

Objective: Fractional laser therapy is a new treatment with potential benefit in the treatment of burn scars. We sought to determine patient satisfaction after burn scar treatment with the Erbium-Yag laser.

Methods: We performed a telephone survey of all patients who underwent fractional resurfacing of burn scars with the Erbium-Yag 2940 wavelength laser at Parkland Hospital from 01/01/2016 to 05/01/2017.

Problems and complications of full-face carbon dioxide laser resurfacing for pathological lesions of the skin.

Objective: Facial resurfacing with a CO laser has been used for treatment of pathologic lesions and for cosmetic purposes. Postoperative complications and problems after laser resurfacing include infections, acneiform lesions, and pigment changes. This retrospective study describes the most common problems and complications in 105 patients and assesses postoperative pain in 38 patients.

Holmium:YAG laser bronchoscopy ablation of benign and malignant airway obstructions: an 8-year experience.

Patients suffering from severe tracheobronchial obstruction are vulnerable to dyspnea, respiratory failure, obstructive pneumonia, and death. Treatment with a holmium:YAG laser, an alternative to the neodymium:YAG laser, may provide symptomatic relief. This is the largest case series to date describing the application of the holmium:YAG laser via bronchoscopy for benign and malignant obstructive disease.

Five parameters you must understand to master control of your laser/light-based devices.

In this article, the authors review basic fundamental principles of light characteristics and their interaction with the target tissue. It is imperative for the practitioner to understand these concepts to deliver appropriate, efficacious, and safe phototherapeutic treatment for their patients. Once a diagnosis is made and a laser is chosen as a treatment tool, a basic knowledge and understanding of the physics and properties of light/tissue interaction is essential to allow practitioners to provide their patients with optimal results.

TUNEL assay to characterize acute histopathological injury following treatment with the active and deep FX fractional short-pulse CO2 devices.

Background: This is a report of the histopathological evaluation of the acute damage profile in human skin following treatment with two novel short-pulsed fractional carbon dioxide resurfacing devices used independently and in combination in vivo.

Methods: The panni of eight abdominoplasty patients were treated with either the Active FX, the Deep FX (Lumenis Ltd., Yokneum, Israel), or a combination of the two (Total FX) prior to the start of the excisional surgical procedure.

In vivo histopathologic comparison of the acute injury following treatment with five fractional ablative laser devices.

Background: Both erbium (Er:YAG) and carbon dioxide (CO(2)) devices are commonly-used, efficient laser systems for aggressive skin resurfacing procedures. The devices each have different adjustable parameters (density, spot size, number of pulses, pattern, etc) and utilize variable energy capabilities to tailor individual treatments depending on the skin pathology and goals of treatment. Overall, the consensus has been that multiple-pass erbium treatments needed for efficacious wrinkle reduction had similar downtime and comorbidity to the traditional CO(2) treatments.

Effects of common laser treatments on hyaluronic acid fillers in a porcine model.

Background: Injectable hyaluronic acid fillers (HAFs) and laser/light procedures have become increasingly popular for noninvasive facial rejuvenation in many cosmetic practices. However, the effect of laser/light treatments on HAFs is unknown.

Objective: Our objective was to examine the effect of laser/light treatments on HAFs in a porcine model.

TUNEL assay for histopathologic evaluation of irreversible chromosomal damage following nonablative fractional photothermolysis.

Background: Fractional photothermolysis is extremely popular in skin rejuvenation and remodeling procedures. However, the extent of thermal cellular injury beyond the borders of the coagulated microcolumns produced with fractional phototherapy is undefined.

Methods: Six abdominoplasty patients were pretreated with the Lux1540 Fractional Erbium device (Palomar, Inc.

Nonsurgical delay of dorsal rat cutaneous flap using a long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser with a contact cooling device.

Background: This study evaluated the efficiency of a long-pulsed neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser, operating at 1064 nm and equipped with a contact cooling device, in the delay of a caudally based dorsal rat skin flap (10 x 3 cm). This laser has deeper tissue penetration and has not been used for this purpose before.

Methods: Twelve male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in each of six groups.

Evaluation of flashlamp-pumped pulsed-dye laser (585 nm) in nonsurgical delay of dorsal rat cutaneous flaps.

Background: This study evaluated the efficiency of a flashlamp-pumped pulsed-dye laser operating at 585 nm in the delay of a caudally based, 10 x 3-cm dorsal rat skin flap. Two different laser treatment patterns (only longitudinal borders and the entire surface of the proposed flap) for two different fluences (6 J/cm and 8 J/cm) were compared with an acute untreated control flap as well as two surgical delay methods (incision of longitudinal borders and incision of longitudinal borders plus flap undermining).

Methods: Twelve male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in each of seven groups.