Early postoperative treatment of thyroidectomy scars using a fractional carbon dioxide laser

BACKGROUND Ablative carbon dioxide fractional laser systems (CO₂ FS) have been effectively used to improve the appearance of scarring after surgical procedures, but an optimal treatment time has not been established. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of CO₂ FS in early postoperative thyroidectomy scars. METHODS Twenty-three Korean women with thyroidectomy scars were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent a single session of two passes of a CO₂ FS with a pulse energy setting of 50 mJ and a density of 100 spots/cm² 2 to 3 weeks after surgery. RESULTS Mean Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) scores were statistically significantly lower after laser treatment. Three months after CO₂ FS treatment of thyroidectomy scarring, 12 of 23 participants showed clinical improvement of more than 51% from 2 to 3 weeks after surgery. The mean grade of clinical improvement based on independent clinical assessment was 2.6 ± 0.9. CONCLUSION Early postoperative CO₂ FS treatment of thyroidectomy scars is effective and safe.