Can Cosmetic Laser Treatment Prevent Skin Cancer?

Recent research has indicated that patients who were previously suffering from basal or squamous cell skin cancers and underwent nonablative fractional laser treatment had their risk of cancer recurrence significantly lowered by half. The director of the Dermatology Laser and Cosmetic Center at Massachusetts, Dr. Mathew Avram, has stated that the reason for this positive result is unknown. He also mentioned that it was imperative to go back to the labs to determine the reasons for such a result, as theories abound on whether or not such treatment alters the immune system and causes the skin to change.

Dr. Matthew has further highlighted that fractional lasers typically treat a part of the skin, leaving a substantial amount untreated. Despite this, the actual skin benefits from such treatment are too significant to ignore. Skin cell cancers vary; however, basal and squamous cancers are the most common types. If detected early enough, these types of cancers are curable. 

What Happens When Someone Does Cosmetic Laser Treatment for Skin Cancer?

According to research, patients who had historical records of either basal or squamous cell cancers had a 35% risk of developing a recurrence within three years and a 50% risk within five years. Forty-three of these patients had laser treatment conducted on them, while 52 did not. 

Concerning patients that had laser treatments, 21% of them developed new cell cancers after various follow-ups of more than six years. On the other hand, 40% of patients that were not treated developed new cell cancers. Despite these findings, Dr. Avram was of the contrary opinion that patients suffering from cell cancers should undergo cosmetic laser treatment. He noted that although he does not recommend such a procedure, it was good to know that cosmetic laser treatment provides numerous benefits, chief among them being the decreased incidence of such cancer cells. 

Squamous cell skin cancer -medically termed “Squamous Cell Carcinoma”- is a skin cancer that develops in the skin’s squamous cells. These cells are known to make up the middle and outer layers of the skin. However, this type of cell cancer is not life-threatening, although skin cancer is quite aggressive. Basal cell carcinoma is also a type of skin cancer that begins in the basal cells and often has the external appearance of a bump on the skin, although it can assume various forms. 

In conclusion, the study on the matter shows that cosmetic laser treatment can significantly reduce the incidence of skin cell cancers.