Early use of CO lasers and silicone gel on surgical scars: Prospective study.

Introduction: Some publications have shown good aesthetic results for scars through the early application of fractional CO lasers on elective surgery scars. The aim of this randomized, double-blinded clinical trial was to compare the aesthetic quality of the scar from a group of patients submitted to super-pulsed fractional CO laser applications (10,600 nm fractional CO , set at a density of 20% and an energy of 10 mJ, a scanner of 03 × 03 mm, and a pulse repetition time of 0.3 seconds) in contrast with the other group that used only the silicone gel on the scar after plastic surgery.

Method: A prospective study was conducted by analyzing 42 patients with recent scars of up to three weeks in patients with a I-IV Fitz-Patrick skin phototype. The scars were evaluated aesthetically in the second and sixth months by applying the Vancouver scale.

Results: At 2 months of treatment, the statistical data showed a discrete superiority in the LASER group's treatment, as compared to that of the SILICONE group, in both percentage and significance concerning flexibility (P = 0.05) and pigmentation (P = 0.01). Laser group presented better results in the sixth month (P = 0,03).

Conclusion: The early use of the fractional CO laser contributed to improving the aesthetic quality of scars from elective surgeries in the second and in the 6th months. Lasers Surg. Med. 49:570-576, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.