Preliminary report on use of the neodymium-YAG laser in plastic surgery.

Thirty-four patients with 57 cutaneous lesions have been treated with the Nd:YAG laser under an experimental protocol over a year of study. The majority of treatments were done on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia. Capillary/cavernous hemangiomas of the oral cavity responded well, but hemangiomas of infancy responded poorly. Hypertrophic scars and keloids responded well only in conjunction with steroid treatment. Epistaxis in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia responded well for 4-5 months and then recurred. Areas with thin skin or mucosa have the potential for full-thickness injury with complications of scar, bony exposure, or septal perforation.