The Comparative Study of the Side Effects of Copper Vapor Laser and Flashlamp - Pumped Pulsed Tunable Dye Laser Treatment

Sung, Kyung Jeh; Lee, Sang Hyup; Lee, Hwa Jung; Koh, Jai Kyoung; Choi, Jee Ho

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There are two kinds of mechanism for laser therapy according to selectie photothermolysis. Selective photothermolysis means that a chromophore can be selectively dei, stroyed with a laser of n appropriate wavelength and of a short pulse duration that is shortor than the thermal relaxation time of the chromophore. It is supposed that the side effects of the continuous wave laser, in which selective photothermolysis does not exist occur more often than when a pulsed wave laser is used.
OBJECTIVE
We compar.d the side effects of flashlamp-pumped pulsed tunable dye laser(SPTL), whose treatment is baseal on selective photothermolysis, with those of copper vapor laser(CVL , which is a quasi-continuous thermal laser.
METHODS
The laser cl arts of 498 patients with SPTL treatment and 485 patients with CVL, treatment in Asan Medical Center from 1989 to 1994 were examined, retrospectively.
RESULTS
1) Among 498 patients, with SPTL treatment, we observed various side effects in 47(9.4%). The incidences of individial side effects are as follows, hyperpigmentation in 6.2%(31), vesicl formation in 1.6% (8), surface texture change in 0.8% (4), Hypopigmentation in 0.6% (3), scar format,ion in 0.2% (1). 2) After CVL treatment, side effects occurred in 30(6.2%) among 485 patient.. Hyperpigmentation in 3.1%(15), vesicle formation in 2.5%(12), surface texture change in 0.2%(1), hypopigmentation in 0.2%(1), and scar formation in 0.1%(1) were observed.
CONCLUSION
The total incidence of side effect.s after CVL treatment is not statistically different, from that after SPTL treatment, which contradicts the previous theory.