Immediate postoperative laser resurfacing improves second intention healing on the nose: 5-year experience

BACKGROUND. Mohs surgery defects on convex nasal surfaces do not reliably heal well by second intention. Prior to the availability of laser resurfacing we found that immediate postoperative dermabrasion improved the predicted outcome from second intention healing for these defects. OBJECTIVE. To determine the ability of immediate postoperative CO₂ and Er:YAG laser resurfacing to improve predicted healing by second intention. METHODS. Seventy-four patients with Mohs surgical defects on the nose underwent immediate postoperative resurfacing with either a scanned CO₂ or long-pulsed Er:YAG laser. Thirty patients had photographs of appropriate quality and follow-up for evaluation by a panel of nine objective physicians. RESULTS, All 74 patients were satisfied with their result and none have requested scar revision. Of the 30 patients evaluated by the panel, all were scored acceptable to excellent. CONCLUSION. Immediate laser resurfacing can improve the predicted outcome from second intention healing on the nose and should be considered for select patients.