DermaSculpt laser: Ablation of small cutaneous lesions made easy

Key Points

The DermaSculpt system is equipped with an Er:YAG laser (2.940 micrometers), offering ablative, fractionated (nonablative) and micro-tip capabilities, making it extremely versatile in the treatment of cutaneous lesions and skin resurfacing procedures. The novelty of the device is in the curved 300- to 600-micrometer laser tips it employs, allowing the physician to pinpoint and treat small cutaneous lesions as well as those lesions that are notoriously difficult to reach with standard straight tips.

DermaSculpt study

Results showed that 90 percent of investigators and 70 percent of patients rated a 76 percent to 100 percent improvement or resolution of lesions after one treatment, and all patients indicated satisfaction with the procedure. No anesthesia was used, and patients rated the majority of stinging or burning sensations as "moderate" during and "mild" after the treatment.

"The DermaSculpt laser allows you to remove cutaneous lesions with much more precision and ease, primarily due to the tiny chisel tips the device is equipped with. This is the major advantage that this Er:YAG laser has over other devices," says Khalil Khatri, M.D., of Skin & Laser Surgery, Nashua, N.H., and head of the study. "Because of the increased maneuverability during the procedure, the treatment sessions can be considerably shorter and save a lot of valuable time."

Laser details

The DermaSculpt laser is the only Er:YAG laser device that comes with these small 400- to 600-micron chisel tips. According to Dr. Khatri, the tiny straight and curved handpieces are ideal for the treatment of small lesions such as hyperplasias or skin papules, which can sometimes be only a millimeter or less in diameter. Other currently available ablative lasers usually come with 1.4, 2 or 3 mm spots, and, often, these are simply larger than the actual lesions themselves.

"With these larger spots, you often unnecessarily end up not only treating the target lesion, but also some of the surrounding healthy skin, as well. However, the much smaller spots in the DermaSculpt laser allow you to pinpoint and treat the lesion and only the lesion without causing any collateral damage to the surrounding tissue," he says.

According to Dr. Khatri, the tiny curved micron chisel tips give the physician more of an angle and get into the anatomical corners where these lesions sometimes arise, such as around the medial canthus and in the paranasal crease, as well as other "hidden" anatomical locations. The smaller spots make this laser not only more user-friendly, but also help to achieve much more precise ablation results. The heightened precision of the treatments can also result in decreased downtime in patients, as the healthy skin surrounding targeted lesions is spared.

Disclosures: Dr. Khatri reports no relevant financial interests.