The Efficacy of Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser in Surgical Scars Treatment: A system Review and Meta-analysis.

Abstract

Surgical scars seriously affect a patient's quality of life, and they have a strong impact on individuals. Many studies have reported the results of using fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser to treat surgical scars and have generally found it to be effective. We conducted a meta-analysis with the objective of evaluating and proving the efficacy of fractional CO2 laser therapy for surgical scars. We performed a search of databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and the Cochrane Library. The outcomes of the meta-analysis were overall scores on the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and its four dimensions (pigmentation, vascularity, pliability and height). Statistical analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software. A total of ten studies were included in this meta-analysis, including six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and four nonrandomized controlled trials (N-RCTs). In the meta-analysis of RCTs and N-RCTs, similar results were obtained, and fractional CO2 laser irradiation significantly decreased VSS scores (P < 0.00001). In addition, fractional CO2 laser irradiation also had a significant effect on scores on the pigmentation (P = 0.08), vascularity (P = 0.001), flexibility (P = 0.005) and height (P = 0.008) dimensions. Except for mild pain during treatment and temporary erythema after treatment, most patients had no obvious adverse reactions. Our study found that fractional CO2 laser exhibits excellent efficacy and safety in terms of surgical scar treatment. Thus, we hope it becomes more widely available to patients with surgical scars. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .