Carbon dioxide laser-assisted hair transplantation. The effect of laser parameters on scalp tissue--a histologic study.
BACKGROUND: "Char-free" carbon dioxide lasers are capable of precise tissue vaporization with minimum residual thermal damage. These lasers deliver very high bursts of energy for extremely short durations, and can vaporize recipient sites during hair transplantation, which are consistent in depth and diameter. OBJECTIVE: To determine the depth of ablation and lateral thermal damage of scalp tissue using various laser parameters with the Sharplan 80XJ Silklaser. METHODS: Two hundred forty laser recipient sites were created, using 24 different laser parameters in each of 10 specimens of scalp tissue removed during scalp reduction. These specimens were evaluated histologically for depth of ablation and lateral thermal damage. RESULTS: While some laser parameters worked better regarding consistent depth of ablation of scalp tissue, lateral thermal damage was quite narrow (average, 20-50 microns). CONCLUSIONS: None of the laser parameters tested in this study should be problematic when used clinically for hair transplantation.