The Gold standard ablative laser, carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers, have wavelengths that lie within the infrared range (10,600nm) and work by ablating tissue through the vaporization of tissue water. It is a precise way of treating non-melanoma skin cancers such as BCC’s and SCC-in-situ’s as the laser has the ability to confine the thermal damage to targeted malignant tissue with minimal damage to surrounding tissue.
During the treatment, the area to be treated is injected with local anaesthetic followed by precise treatment with the laser. The whole treatment is painless and has normally has no associated bleeding as underlying vessels are sealed by the laser as the treatment is done. The laser treatment normally only takes a few minutes followed by antibiotic impregnated dressing applied directly onto the wound. New healthy skin heals over the treated area over a few weeks.
This treatment is an alternative treatment for certain non-melanoma skin cancers and also suitable for some difficult to operate on areas. Please consult with one of our doctors for your skin cancer’s suitability before treatment.
