Carbon dioxide laser abrasion. Is it appropriate for all regions of the face?

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness of the carbon dioxide laser for treatment of facial acne scarring and to determine if certain regions of the face would respond more favorably to carbon dioxide laser resurfacing than other areas of the face. METHODS Twenty-five patients with facial acne scarring were treated with the carbon dioxide laser with the flash-scanning attachment. Physician and patient evaluations were performed at postoperative follow-up. The face was evaluated for improvement by 5 anatomic regions: medial and lateral cheeks, perioral region, temple, and forehead. SETTING Office ambulatory surgery center. RESULTS Patients demonstrated overall improvement with the carbon dioxide laser. However, certain areas, such as the lateral cheek and temple, responded less favorably than other areas, such as the medial cheek, perioral region, and forehead. These findings were found to be statistically significant (P < .001) for physician and patient assessments. No long-term complications were reported. CONCLUSIONS The carbon dioxide laser is an effective modality for the treatment of facial acne scarring. Physician and patient satisfaction is high. Nevertheless, multiple treatments may be necessary to achieve improvement, especially in the temple and lateral cheek areas; these anatomic sites respond less favorably to laser resurfacing than the medial cheek, perioral region, and forehead.