Laser Resurfacing Chicken Pox
Regarded as a disease of childhood and something of a rite of passage, 90% of all cases of chicken pox occur in children age 14 years or younger. For many, the experience is traumatic and causes permanent scarring.
The Course of the Chicken Pox Disease
The highly contagious Varicella virus causes chicken pox, which manifests as a rash on the trunk before spreading to the face and extremities. The chicken pox lesion starts as a 2-4 mm red papule that develops an irregular outline.
Chicken pox scars
In most cases, chicken pox scars usually heal on their own within a short period of time. However another characteristic of chicken pox is extreme irritation and itchiness caused by the lesions.
Next, a thin-walled, clear vesicle forms on top of the red area and fills with cloudy fluid, which is also highly contagious until the lesion crusts over.
The total development of the lesion from formation until it falls off takes 7-10 days, at which time the disease has run its course. Unfortunately, when the lesions resolve, they often leave a crater-like scar behind.
Scarring from Chicken Pox
People suffering from chicken pox are often tempted to scratch the lesions, which may by itchy and annoying. Unfortunately, this may mean that the crust is removed too early, which deepens the scar it leaves behind. For many, those scars are well concealed or fade naturally over time.
If however, scratching has occurred on exposed areas like the face, the permanent scars that remain are disfiguring, negatively affecting both appearance and self-confidence. Laser skin resurfacing offers an easy solution for people who have long suffered from the results of this childhood disease.
Laser Skin Resurfacing for Scar Removal
Laser skin resurfacing is performed by a physician using a high-energy, pulsed, carbon dioxide (C02) laser. The procedure applies energy in quick, intense bursts from a finely controlled laser beam to the outer layer of damaged skin, in this instance, a scar.
Unwanted tissue is vaporized and surface indentations smoothed to reveal a layer of healthy, unaffected skin beneath. This technique is highly effective to remove scars from chicken pox, and also stimulates the dermal collagen to tighten, further reducing the amount of scar visibility.
The laser skin resurfacing works equally well on the face, arms, legs, and really any part of the body. The improved, smooth appearance of the skin is consistently spectacular for this kind of scarring.
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