title: Actinic cheilitis. Treatment with the carbon dioxide laser.
abstract: Actinic cheilitis is a premalignant condition that can be treated in several ways. A total of 43 patients with biopsy-proven actinic cheilitis were treated with the carbon dioxide (CO2) laser. After follow-up of at least 10 months, 26 patients thought that the lip was cosmetically improved, and 40 thought that the function of the lip was improved or had not changed. Complications were few and included only mild hypertrophic scarring, which resulted most often from the diagnostic biopsy and was corrected with topical or intralesional steroids or no therapy except simple massage. The CO2 laser is a simple, inexpensive, effective therapy for actinic cheilitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905.
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Zelickson
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Roenigk
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002613:Cheilitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008048:Lip Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D013472:Sunlight / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide