Premium
Reduction of thickened flap using fractional carbon dioxide laser
Author(s) -
Brightman Lori A.,
Brauer Jeremy A.,
Anolik Robert,
Weiss Elliot T.,
Karen Julie,
Chapas Anne,
Hale Elizabeth,
Bernstein Leonard,
Geronemus Roy G.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
lasers in surgery and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1096-9101
pISSN - 0196-8092
DOI - 10.1002/lsm.21125
Subject(s) - ablative case , medicine , carbon dioxide laser , debulking , dermabrasion , reduction (mathematics) , surgery , forehead , deformity , laser , laser surgery , optics , physics , geometry , mathematics , ovarian cancer , cancer , radiation therapy
Background and Objective The paramedian forehead flap is an excellent choice when repairing a large nasal defect. However, even when carefully thinned, the flap may develop a bulky appearance, an ill‐fitting contour, or trap door deformity. When on the face, these suboptimal results can be quite distressing. Surgical and non‐surgical options for improvement exist. Surgical options include additional debulking and reorientation of the flap. Non‐surgical options include intralesional corticosteroids or 5‐flourouracil, dermabrasion, and ablative and non‐ablative laser resurfacing. Each option has limited benefit as well potential side effects. Study Design/Materials and Methods Case report. Results In this report, we present dramatic improvement of a thickened paramedian forehead flap using the Fraxel Re:pair, a fractional carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) laser (Solta Medical, Inc. Hayward, CA). Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first case in the literature demonstrating successful reduction of a bulky flap using a fractional ablative laser. Lasers Surg. Med. 43:873‐874, 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.