Histological and Clinical Findings of Portwine Stains Treated by Pulsed Dye Laser Compared with Argon Laser

Abstract

Histological and clinical findings of portwine stains treated by pulsed dye laser were studied in comparison with argon laser treatment. Histologically pericapillary scarring in the dermis were remarkably slight with the dye laser treatment in comparison with the argon laser, although the dye laser treatment were almost similar to the argon laser in clearing effects of dilated capillaries in the dermis. The superior clinical results of the dye laser were mainly due to no scarring effect in the dermis. The difference of histological and clinical responses between dye laser and argon laser can be explained by the theory of thermal relaxation time.