Assessment of a 3050/3200 nm fiber laser system for ablative fractional laser treatments in dermatology

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Mid‐infrared (IR) ablative fractional laser treatments are highly efficacious for improving the appearance of a variety of dermatological conditions such as photo‐aged skin. However, articulated arms are necessary to transmit the mid‐IR light to the skin, which restricts practicality and clinical use. Here, we have assessed and characterized a novel fiber laser‐pumped difference frequency generation (DFG) system that generates ablative fractional lesions and compared it to clinically and commercially available thulium fiber, Erbium:YAG (Er:YAG), and CO(2) lasers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An investigational 20 W, 3050/3200 nm fiber laser pumped DFG system with a focused spot size of 91 µm was used to generate microscopic ablation arrays in ex vivo human skin. Several pulse energies (10–70 mJ) and pulse durations (2–14 ms) were applied and lesion dimensions were assessed histologically using nitro‐blue tetrazolium chloride stain. Ablation depths and coagulative thermal damage zones were analyzed across three additional laser systems. RESULTS: The investigational DFG system‐generated deep (>2 mm depth) and narrow (<100 µm diameter) ablative lesions surrounded by thermal coagulative zones of at least 20 µm thickness compared to 13, 40, and 320 µm by the Er:YAG, CO(2), and Thulium laser, respectively. CONCLUSION: The DFG system is a small footprint device that offers a flexible fiber delivery system for ablative fractional laser treatments, thereby overcoming the requirement of an articulated arm in current commercially available ablative lasers. The depth and width of the ablated microcolumns and the extent of surrounding coagulation can be controlled; this concept can be used to design new treatment procedures for specific indications. Clinical improvements and safety are not the subject of this study and need to be explored with in vivo clinical studies.