Ablative Fractional Photothermolysis for the Treatment of Hypertrophic Burn Scars in Adult and Pediatric Patients: A Single Surgeon's Experience

Many patients develop hypertrophic scarring after a burn injury. Numerous treatment modalities have been described and are currently in practice. Photothermolysis or laser therapy has been recently described as an adjunct for management of hypertrophic burn scars. This study is a retrospective chart review of adult and pediatric patients undergoing fractional photothermolysis at a verified burn center examining treatment parameters as well as pre- and post-Vancouver Scar Scale scores. Forty-four patients underwent fractional photothermolysis during the study period of 8 months. Mean pretreatment score was 7.6, and mean posttreatment score was 5.4. The mean decrease in score was 2.2, which was found to be statistically significant. There were no complications. Fractional photothermolysis is a safe and efficacious adjunct therapy for hypertrophic burn scars. Prospective trials would be beneficial to determine optimal therapeutic strategies.