Thermographic and histological evaluation of laser skin resurfacingscans

摘要

In general, ablative laser skin resurfacing procedures have shownngood short-term efficacy. However, the mechanisms underlying laser skinnresurfacing remain poorly understood. We performed a quantitative studynto investigate the thermal response of skin to CO2 lasernirradiation. Raster scans were performed on an in vivo rat model andnradiometric surface temperatures measured using a thermal camera.nTemperatures approaching 400°C were measured during the scans andnremained above the initial skin temperature for durations longer thannten seconds. Analysis of histology sections showed that the epidermisnremained partially intact after three passes. To explain the observedntrends in the temperature response and histology, the dynamics ofnoptical and thermal parameters were investigated. Water vaporizationnplayed a key role in governing the response of the skin to subsequentnlaser passes. Char formation and pulse stacking altered the thermalneffects