Navigating Laser Treatments for Scars: The Physical and Emotional Journey.

Abstract

Introduction: The physical and emotional burden that scars impose on people's lives has been the concern of dermatological research for quite some time. Usually, the available literature on the topic draws a grim image containing solely dry medical facts. The present study deviates from this approach by reflecting a solution-centered study which has also touched on the quotidian life of an average person. The overall intention of the present experiment was to inspect how a holistic approach to scars in dermatology can be crucial for the patient's quality of life.

Methods: This pilot study compiles data collected through the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) from the same set of patients within the span of a year. Sixty patients with diverse scar profiles were asked to rate POSAS and DLQI in every session. A combination of EBDs was used based on the scar examination. Student's t-test was run to validate the data.

Results: The evaluations by POSAS and DLQI indicate significant improvement in the physical aspect of the scar as well as the patient quality of life a year after the first treatment. According to mean values collected from POSAS, there is a direct correlation between average patient evaluations and physician assessments. Thus, EBDs prove to be efficient in improving the QoL of scar patient. The 20 patients who had reported mild side effects after treatments recovered fully within a few days after the sessions. No patient reported severe side effects.

Discussion: Apart from the physical indications that scars bring about into patients' lives, the psychological repercussions caused by scars have a major effect on the QoL of the patients. These repercussions can be divided into individual and social. At the individual level, scars have a profoundly negative effect on the image of the self which leads to several different psychological complications by time. At the social level, scars affect the radius of physical movement besides the quality of the patient's activities. Therefore, EBDs as effective treatment methods can improve itchiness, pain, and so forth, of the patient, and can also improve the psychological aspect.

Conclusion: All in all, the present study aims to produce a more panoramic perspective on the concern of scars in the field of dermatology, centering around EBDs as a solution for improving scar patient QoL. With a focus on the efficacy of EBDs in the scar treatment, and with reference to studies on the topic, it is safe to assume that the earlier the scar treatment initiates, the better the outcomes. Departing from this point, in the future of cosmetic dermatology, prepping the skin by EBD treatments before surgery is imaginable.