Pulsed dye laser treatment for linear scars with concave and erythematous appearance.

Facial linear scars with concave and erythematous appearance sometimes occur after long observation even if adequate conservative treatments have been applied. Because the regenerated epithelium is thin, those scars are seen as red or pink, and are sometimes accompanied with postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. For these scars, flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye of the wavelength of 585 nm and pulse-width of 450 micro s was used, and acceptable results were obtained. Three cases required one treatment and one case needed two, and any side effects were not recognized. Compared with the carbon dioxide laser, which often shows severe scarring as a side effect, the pulsed dye laser with a short down time is useful.