Dr  Cameron Yap¹, Dr Helen Douglas¹, Professor Fiona  Wood¹, Professor Suzanne  Rea¹

¹Princess Margaret Hospital, Perth, Australia

Abstract:
Background

Burn scarring can be painful, restrictive and disfiguring and once formed, a scar is worn for life.  Standard scar management involves scar hydration, massage, silicone and pressure garments to achieve the best result, however these therapies require a lot of time and commitment and can be particularly challenging to adhere to in the paediatric population and warmer climates.

Methods

We present a series of cases in which the use of early (12-16 weeks post-injury) CO2 laser on very active hypertrophic burns scarring was employed. Details of each case, treatment regimens and illustrative photographs are presented.

Discussion

The use of CO2 laser is emerging as a useful modality in scar reconstruction. In patients with early active hypertrophic burn scars we believe that timely treatment with CO2 laser therapy may impact the formation of such scars, reduce time in pressure garments and could improve the final outcome.

Biography:
Cameron Yap is a resident in the paediatric burns service in WA