Fractional CO2 laser treatment for post-surgical lip scars in cleft lip and palate patients

• Published in: Lasers in medical science 2019-10, Vol.34 (8), p.1699-1703
• Main Authors: Jahanbin, Arezoo, Eslami, Neda, Layegh, Pouran, Saeidi, Morteza, Kazemi, Mostafa, Shahabi, Mostafa, Raisolsadat, Seyed Mohammad Ali
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbon dioxide; Carbon dioxide lasers; Cleft lip/palate; Compression; Cosmetology; Dentistry; Electromyography; Evaluation; Lasers; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Muscles; Optical Devices; Optics; Original Article; Photonics; Quantum Optics; Questionnaires; Recording; Scars; Signs and symptoms; Skin; Therapy
• ISSN: 0268-8921; 1435-604X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10103-019-02819-z

Post-surgical scars of cleft lip patients can lead to abnormal lip activity, which causes deficient maxillary growth. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of laser therapy on the appearance and electrical activity of the upper lip in cleft lip and palate patients. Twelve patients with cleft lip and palate participated in this study. All patients had surgically repaired the cleft lip at the age of about 3–6 months. The lip scars underwent five fractional CO 2 laser treatment sessions with a 4-week interval. Improvement of the quality of the skin texture was recorded according to quartile grading scale based on photographs taken before and 1 month after treatment. Patients’ satisfaction survey was also recorded using Patient Scar Assessment Questionnaire (PSAQ) before and after laser therapy. Moreover, the EMG activity of the upper lip muscle was measured before and after treatment. According to dermatologists, the improvement of scar appearance ranged from 0.5 to 3, with a mean of 1.29 ± 0.86. Mean scores of the scar appearance ( p