Laser surgery for children.

Laser surgery can be effectively used in children with either local or general anesthesia. The laser must be used only in selected instances where other therapies have not been fruitful, such as congenital port-wine stains or recalcitrant warts. Significant scarring is a potential sequela of the second degree burns produced by argon or carbon dioxide laser surgery, and is particularly a risk for children. Elective laser surgery, therefore, should be deferred until a child would be capable of cooperating fully with postoperative wound care. Parents must be appropriately informed about expectations for cure in certain diseases which may be only partially remedied. For instance, congenital melanocytic nevi may be improved, but are incompletely removed by laser surgery. Also, dramatic improvements in dynamic diseases such as adenoma sebaceum may represent only a temporary interlude.