The effect of CO2 laser treatment on skin tissue.

Background/objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of multiple pulses on the depth of injury caused by CO2 laser in an in vivo rat model.

Methods: A 10 600-nm CO2 laser was applied to rat skin, with one side of the rat dorsal skin being exposed, leaving the other side as a control.

Results: All of the various laser pulses tested led to gradual loss of epidermal thickness as well as a dramatic increase in thermal damage depth. Collagen coagulation was most effective with ten pulses of CO2 laser, while the strength of irradiated skin tissue increased as the influence of the laser increased.

Conclusion: Fundamental laser-skin interaction effects were studied using a CO2 laser. The photodamaged areas obtained from laser interaction were recorded via couple charge device video camera and analyzed via ImageJ software. Photodamage induced by CO2 laser is due to photothermal effects, which involve burning and vaporizing mechanisms to ablate the epidermis layer. The burning area literally expands and penetrates deep into the dermis layer, subsequently causing collagen coagulation. This fundamental study shows in detail the effect of CO2 laser interaction with skin. The CO2 attributed severe burning, producing deep coagulation, and induced strength to treated skin.