Ablative Fractional Resurfacing for Chronic Wounds from Traumatic Scarring: A Case Report and Literature Review

Ablative fractional resurfacing (AFR) can be utilized to improve scar appearance, texture, pain and associated contractures.Non-healing ulc ers can also develop in areas of scarring and, in some cases, AFR can be utilized to heal these chronic wounds.We present a case of scarring with non-healing ulceration refractory to wound care, debrideme nt and hydrotherapy successfully healed in four sessions with AFR using a 2940 nm Er:YAG laser.We review the literature on AFR for wound healing including potential mechanisms.AFR can be considered for non-healing ulc ers in areas of scarring, once malignancy and infection are ruled out, and has the potential to provide relief for these suffering patients.