Ask a Surgeon - Laser Surgery - I have marks left from chicken pox and "sand-fly" bites from a child. I've used...

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I have marks left from chicken pox and "sand-fly" bites from a child. I've used coco...

Q:

I have marks left from chicken pox and "sand-fly" bites from a child. I've used coco butter, vitamin E, K and many types of bleaching creams. I'm using lactinol (which was prescribed for the bottom of my feet) on my legs to see if that may help. Can you let me know if there is a laser surgery procedure that I can benefit from? The creams have taken years to help lighten my skin, but not enough to allow me to wear shorts/skirts. I'm also diabetic and every time I get a cut, it leaves a mark. Thanks in advance for your advice.

A:

Plastic surgeons use many different lasers that utilize light energy in different ways. Some resurface the outer layers of the skin and some are designed to penetrate deeper to work on blood vessels or pigment below the skin surface. An evaluation by a surgeon is necessary to determine the exact nature of your problem. Generally, resurfacing is not recommended on the extremities. Certain vascular lesions are often treated. Pigmentation problems will probably not be amenable to treatment with lasers. I am concerned about your diabetes. An individual's response to injury can be affected by diabetes, since the lasers create a controlled wound. An individual's inability to heal properly may lead to unacceptable results from a procedure that was used successfully in others. Lactinol is generally prescribed for the treatment of very dry skin. It is not likely to lighten pigmented areas.