The Use of Fractional Ablative CO2 Laser vs Control on Acute Traumatic Injuries to Prevent Scar Formation

Surgical standard for treating traumatic burn injury scarring is to wait one year following the initial assault prior to beginning treatment. This study investigates the use of fractional ablative CO2 laser when begun within 3 months of a traumatic burn injury and it's impact on scar formation compared to the control. We hypothesized that early intervention would substantially mitigate the formation of scar tissue and help restore more normal appearing skin.