Dermatological Uses of Lasers and Light-Based Devices

A very brief overview of some nonablative clinical uses of lasers is presented. This highlights the most common therapeutic uses for which the safety/adverse events have been evaluated.

23.3.1 Acne

Lasers have been used to treat acne [32,56-58], alone or as part of a photodynamic regi­men [59-61], and to reverse/correct the scarring produced by more serious cases of this condition [62-66]. It is quite likely that with advances in technology and the identification and selective targeting of key structures, that is, chromophores, a consumer device may become available for treating and/or preventing acne.

23.3.2 Cellulite

A recent application of laser devices is the cosmetic treatment of cellulite. As this is a more recent use of lasers, the clinical efficacy remains to be established. Nonetheless, it has been reported that use of laser treatment together with other agents results in an improve­ment in the appearance of cellulite [67-70].

Updated: October 6, 2015 — 3:45 am