Experimental skin incision made with the carbon dioxide laser.

A comparison of incisions made with a surgical scalpel and a continuous carbon dioxide laser was done. The hog was the subject animal because of its similarity to human skin. The short-term stage of the experiment showed that the laser incisions were far better in terms of tissue repair. However, after several days, the incisions made by the scalpel exhibited better tissue reconstruction. But around the 30th day, both systems displayed similar results. This information may aid a surgeon in making a decision on whether a laser may be used safely in an operation.