The Histologic Evaluation of Pulsed Carbon Dioxide Laser Resurfacing versus Phenol Chemical Peels in Vivo

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers and phenol chemical peels have been used extensively for facial skin resurfacing. The purpose of this study is to compare the histologic effects of phenol chemical peels and CO2 laser ablations. 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. 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. 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.