Laser: a review

Abstract 

Lasers and light-based treatments are extremely useful and now standardized techniques in the management of different stages of photoaging. To obtain the most successful results, protocols involving single or combination systems can be used, depending on skin photodamage. In the last years, the trend is to choose noninvasive or minimally invasive treatments, with the aim of reducing the risk of side effects, complications, and downtime. Selective photothermolysis obtained with lasers and with intense pulse light, which is presently considered the most suitable technique by a growing number of authors, is an extremely valid procedure, in particular in types I and II, according to the Glogau classification. Photodynamic therapy is another effective tool in photoaging treatment, especially in the presence of precancerous conditions. In mild and severe photoaging, ablative laser resurfacing is a particularly successful technique, although requiring a very skilled hand. The new systems, such as fractional photothermolysis, seem to be the very next future to face up to resurfacing procedure with high efficacy and less risks. Obviously, lasers and light-based treatments alone might not be sufficient to control all aging symptoms. For this reason, any another treatment (botulinum toxin, filling agents, chemical peels, systemic and topic antioxidants) can be used in combination to improve the final clinical outcome.