CO2 Laser

What is CO2 Laser?

The word LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. CO2 laser can be used to remove skin growths:

• Moles
• Warts: These are harmless skin growths caused by a virus.
• Milia: These are small white or yellowish white skin growths often seen on the eyelids or temple and caused by obstructed sweat ducts.
• Sebaceous Hyperplasia: These are enlarged oil glands on the face which appear as small yellow irregular lumps with an opening in the centre.
• Seborrheic Keratosis: These are brown to black growths on the face and body and usually present on the skin of people over 40 years old.
• Solar keratosis: These may be present in elderly persons who had extensive sun exposure earlier in their life may develop into pre-cancerous skin growths.
• Skin tags: These are skin coloured lumps that grow out of usually found on the skin, usually on the neck, armpits and body.
• Syringomas: These are small, painless, skin-coloured lumps that grow out of the sweat ducts, usually on the eyelids and cheeks.
• Xanthelesma: These are raised yellow-colored patches appearing on the eyelids. They represent oily deposits in the skin and may be associated with high fat content in the blood.

There are many benefits to laser surgery including little if any pain, no needles for most patients, less bruising and swelling. However, certain larger lesions may be unsuitable for laser procedure, in these cases, our physicians will offer you surgical removal under local anaesthesia.

How CO2 Laser Works

All of the above methods are usually performed under local anaesthesia, in some cases, no anaesthesia is required at all. Usually such surgical procedure will take less than 30 minutes to perform.

Laser treatments, when are performed by trained and certified physician, are safe and effective. CO2 lasers use a precise and intense light beam to vaporize tissue unwanted, damaged, or diseased cells without harming the surrounding healthy cells. New collagen growth are stimulated which heals the skin after the lesion is removed.

How CO2 Laser Works

CO2 laser treatments are only performed by our laser-certified physicians. We offer consultations to determine if CO2 laser treatment is suitable for your skin problem.

Pre Treatment

Normally, the procedure can be performed in just 1 session. Depending on the number of lesions to be treated, it size, location and depth, the duration of treatment varies. Usually each procedure will take less than 30 minutes to perform. The procedure is usually performed under local anaesthesia, in some cases, no anaesthesia is required at all.

During Treatment

During the treatment, you will feel a brief heat sensation each time the CO2 laser delivers a beam of light to the lesion to be removed. There is minimal discomfort and most people tolerate it well.

Post Treatment

After treatment, your skin may be red and depending on the depth of the treated lesion, a scab may form after a few days. For superficial lesions (e.g. skin tags) most people can resume work immediately after treatment with no downtime. Other than sunblock, there is no special follow-up care. For deeper lesions (e.g. mole), you are advised to avoid the sun, use sunscreen when going outdoors and apply antibiotic creams to prevent infection.

Sometimes certain types of lesions e.g. warts or mole fail to disappear. They may recur weeks or even months after an apparent cure. Please consult us further therapy. The treatment may be repeated, or a different method may be used to get rid of the warts.