Fractional Er:YAG laser and its application in dermatology

Fractional laser resurfacing technology is one of those medical advanced technologies. It has bridged the gap between ablative lasers and non-ablative lasers. Fractional laser resurfacing is a new laser skin treatment modality that creates numerous microscopic thermal injury zones with controlled width, depth and density. Those injury zones are surrounded by a reservoir of spared epidermal and dermal tissue that allow for rapid repair of laser-induced thermal injury. In this paper the ideal laser parameters, the damage depth and width, the relationship between the energy and the damage about fractional resurfacing and so on are analyzed. The results show: the Q-switch Er:YAG laser is an ideal lasers for fractional laser resurfacing, the dynamical equilibrium time of fractional resurfacing treating is depended on the energy, the damage area is only the evaporation zone with minimal residual heat, and the damage width and depth of the injury zone in fractional treating can be controlled precisely by the appropriate adjustment of the diameter, energy, pulse width and frequency of Er:YAG laser beam.