Effectiveness of CO₂ Fractional Laser on Linear Scars in Children

Background and Objectives A facial laceration is a commonly occurring trauma of children. In addition, appropriate treatment and scar management are very important because the psychosocial impact of facial scars is much greater in children than in adults. Materials and Methods In the authors' hospital, primary closure was conducted targeting a total of 8,924 patients from January 2015 to December 2017. Of these, scar management was conducted on 808 people using a CO₂ fractional laser and Q-Switch Nd:YAG laser. To prove the effectiveness of the laser treatment on the linear scar, the patients were divided retrospectively into children and adults and sub-divided into those who received the treatment and those who did not. The subjective satisfaction of patients was evaluated using the Numeric Rating System (NRS). The objective scar scoring was evaluated using the image panel assessment based on the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), and the scoring was made by averaging the evaluations of three plastic surgeons. Results Evaluated NRS showed 8.50 ± 1.83 for adults without a laser, 8.51 ± 1.47 for adults with a laser, 7.93 ± 2.10 for children without a laser, and 8.9 ± 1.24 for children with a laser. The image panel assessment revealed 7.06 ± 1.31 for adults without a laser, 6.40 ± 2.37 for adults with a laser, 6.86 ± 1.45 for children without a laser, and 5.93 ± 1.21 for children with a laser. Conclusion When the linear scar is managed using a CO₂ Fractional laser, it can be managed in children better than adults, which is believed to be useful because it leads to better satisfaction and prognosis.