▶ Previous Artlcle : [Issue] Laser Training with Clinical Experience of Wound Care and Anatomical Knowledge – Plastic Surgery I
Professor Yoon says that his experience with chemical peeling helped him familiarize himself with the new procedure of laser resurfacing.
“Before laser was introduced, I often observed chemical peel procedures by Professor Deok-sun Ahn, an expert of the treatment. And I realized that the wound healing process of laser resurfacing was very similar to that of chemical peeling. As I had a lot of experience with wound care of the facial skin from chemical peeling, I could branch out into laser procedures with more confidence. I believe this may have been the case for other plastic surgeons as well. They tend to think that side effects of laser such as wounds are relatively milder and easier to manage than surgery-related complications. This works as both an advantage and disadvantage. In other words, as plastic surgeons are more experienced in wound healing, they use higher energy levels during training, however, they can be overly confident and fail to avoid side effects with more sensitive lesions.”
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When Korea University Anam Hospital started offering laser resurfacing, many patients from around the country visited the hospital for treatment. Professor Eul-sik Yoon remembers that this helped him gain extensive clinical experience on laser resurfacing.
“Before the mid 1990s, when there were no treatments available for small pox scars, patients suffered permanent scarring on their face from this disease. Thanks to patients who visited our hospital from all over Korea for laser resurfacing, I had the chance to experience anti-aging procedures earlier than other plastic surgeons. After I was transferred to Korea University Ansan Hospital, I also performed many laser resurfacing procedures. Meanwhile, I saw that more and more patients who experienced reduced wrinkles after laser resurfacing still felt the effect was somewhat lacking. I then realized that the anti-aging effect was enhanced when the skin tone became clearer. I brought in fractional laser and IPL, etc. to expand treatment options. Fractional laser created micro holes on the skin surface and the resulting wounds were easier to manage compared to those from more abrasive peeling. When I tried fractional laser for the first time, I even doubted its efficacy as there were only slight changes to the skin. I later saw that the skin gradually improved and started to have more faith in its efficacy. I also learned that fractional laser had many advantages such as less downtime over other types of laser resurfacing.”
-To be continued-
▶ Next Artlcle : [Issue] Laser Training with Clinical Experience of Wound Care and Anatomical Knowledge – Plastic Surgery III
