Improvement of erythematous and hypertrophic scars by the 585-nm flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser.

Fourteen patients with erythematous and/or hypertrophic scars resulting from remote surgical excision or trauma were evaluated and subsequently treated with one to two flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye (585 nm) laser treatments over a 2-month period. Clinical assessments were performed before commencement and at the end of the study in all 14 patients. Skin surface texture analyses using optical profilometry were obtained from 5 of the patients before and after laser irradiation. A 57% to 83% clinical improvement was seen in the scars after one to two dye laser treatments, respectively. In addition, a change in the skin texture with return of skin markings approximating those of normal skin measured by optical profilometry was observed in the scars after the pulsed dye laser treatments. The degree of clinical improvement seen at the end of the study continued to be evident in each patient at the 6-month follow-up examination.