Ablative fractional lasers in the treatment of skin disorders A new aurora in dermatologic therapy

Ablative fractional lasers are widely used in dermatology. An ablative fractional laser creates an array of microscopic ablation channels in the skin, leaving the surrounding skin intact. Ablative fractional laser therapy is a minimally invasive treatment modality, since the microscopic ablation channels heal quickly and without scarring. This thesis covers several aspects of ablative fractional laser technology and treatment. In the first part, basic mechanisms of laser-tissue interaction and ablation channel formation are explained, as well as the laser-induced histological changes that can be observed after fractional laser treatment. The second part discusses several factors that are of importance in ablative fractional laser assisted drug delivery, ranging from laser parameters to pharmacological properties of topical drugs, while the third part describes a number of clinical studies and case series concerning several less common non-cosmetic indications for ablative fractional laser therapy.