CARBON DIOXIDE LASER

The CO2 laser is a versatile and effective tool for the removal of warts and various epidermal and dermal lesions. It is a high-precision light scalpel used for incising and excising tissues with subsequent sealing of small blood vessels. It is also an important tool used in blepharoplasty procedures.  Computer controlled and precise, this laser treatment removes unwanted lesions without causing thermal damage to the surrounding skin. It is ideal in vaporizing warts, moles, syringomas and other skin lesions.
 

The effects of lasers on tissue depend on the wavelength of the particular laser and how the energy is delivered. The CO2 laser is strongly absorbed by water and delivers heat energy to the surface of any water-bearing tissue, such as the skin, in a tightly focused beam. The beam of light then vaporizes the water. This beam of light can cut, seal or vaporize tissue with precision while minimizing adverse effects to the surrounding tissue.
 

The procedure takes between 15 to 30 minutes depending on the problem and areas involved and cream anesthesia is applied 40-60 minutes before the treatment to numb the area. The areas that have been treated will appear red, irritated and moist for the first few days. Swelling will eventually subside. Scabs will form in the next 2-3 days and will fall off by the 5th-7th day on the face and it takes a while longer (10-14 days) if done on the neck and other body parts. A post-laser treatment cream is prescribed twice a day for 7-10 days to hasten the healing of treated lesions.