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Erbium Laser for Scars and Striae Distensae

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Lasers, Lights and Other Technologies

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Abstract

Scars are a very common complication of skin injuries such as burns, surgeries, and trauma (lacerations or abrasions) affecting millions of people every year. The appearance of scars can be very disturbing to patients both physically and psychologically being aesthetically unacceptable and impacting negatively on the quality of life. Treatment of scarring may require many different kinds of treatments, depending on the kind of scarring present; however skin vaporization and residual thermal damage can only be achieved by ablative lasers and explain the superiority of ablative laser treatment over chemical peels and dermabrasion. The present chapter addresses the issue of ablative Erbium (Er:YAG) laser which is highly absorbed by water and together with the possibility of being modulated by variations on pulse durations makes it a precise, safe, and effective tool on managing scars. The aims of ablative Erbium laser on treating atrophic scars are reducing the depths of the scar borders and stimulating neocollagenesis to fill depressions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Serviço de Dermatologia, Hospital Naval Marcílio Dias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Paulo Notaroberto

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  1. Paulo Notaroberto
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Correspondence to Paulo Notaroberto .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Medicine – Dermatology, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Maria Claudia Almeida Issa

  2. Clínicas Hospital of São Paulo of the University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Bhertha Tamura

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Notaroberto, P. (2018). Erbium Laser for Scars and Striae Distensae. In: Issa, M., Tamura, B. (eds) Lasers, Lights and Other Technologies. Clinical Approaches and Procedures in Cosmetic Dermatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16799-2_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16799-2_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16798-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16799-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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