Laser Resurfacing with the Er:YAG Laser

The Erbium:YAG (Er:YAG) laser was recently introduced as an alternative to CO₂ lasers for skin resurfacing. The 2940 nm wavelength of the Er:YAG laser is 10 times better absorbed by skin water than the wavelength emitted by the CO₂ laser. At a pulse duration of 0.3 msec, each pass of the Er:YAG laser ablates 25 μm of tissue, and even multiple passes leave behind less than 20 μm of thermal damage.

This retrospective study used chart review and photographic evaluation to compare the two laser systems in the treatment of wrinkles. Fifty patients were treated with a maximum of seven passes with the Er:YAG laser, and another 50 were treated with a maximum of four passes with the UltraPulse CO₂ laser. Follow-up ranged from one to eight months.

Wrin…