The histologic evaluation of pulsed carbon dioxide laser resurfacing versus phenol chemical peels in vivo.
BACKGROUND
Carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers and phenol chemical peels have been used extensively for facial skin resurfacing.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to compare the histologic effects of phenol chemical peels and CO2 laser ablations.


METHODS
Local preauricular areas were treated with lasers on one side of the face and a phenol peel on the other. One day after the procedures, the affected areas were biopsied for histologic evaluation. The areas were biopsied again after 3 months.


RESULTS
The initial biopsies demonstrated that the CO2 lasers ablate more superficial skin than the peels, but the 3-month biopsy specimens showed that the zone of new collagen formation was thicker as a result of the phenol peels.


CONCLUSIONS
With the parameters used in this study, phenol peels resulted in the formation of a thicker zone of collagen despite the deeper ablation depth of the laser.
Moy
L S
LS
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, USA.
Kotler
R
R
Lesser
T
T
D001706:Biopsy; D002615:Chemexfoliation; D003869:Dermabrasion / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D019800:Phenol; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology
D019800:Phenol