This is an article that tells of a study that aims to evaluate the effectivity of Er YAG laser in treating actinic cheilitis. Cheilitis is a medical condition involving inflammation of the lip. It is a precancerous skin lesion most often affecting the lower lip. Actinic cheilosis is a diffuse degenerative inflammation of the lower lip. It is a precancerous result of sun damage. The said lip disease occurs primarily in men and does not present until after 50 years of age. The cause often associated with the disease is often extreme sun exposure during the teen years and young adult life. Lifetime occupational sun exposure increases the risk. In the said medical condition, the lip becomes puffy and blotchy red and pale pink. The lip also acquires some occasional white plaques, termed as leukoplakia, and chronic ulcers. This is a precancerous lesion. It is believed to have an estimated 6 percent risk of developing into cancer. Usual treatment for this includes close follow up care and removal of thick white or white or red patches or non-healing ulcers. Extensive lesions require complete removal of the lip mucosa and replacement with mucosa inside the mouth.
Actinic cheilitis is a disorder that can be treated using Er YAG laser vaporization and with the aid of zoom microscope. Er YAG is an acronym for Erbium doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet. It is a compound that is used as the lasing medium for certain solid-state lasers. Tissue interaction occurring in the procedure results mainly in vaporization with minimal heat conduction to adjacent tissue. Unlike in Nd YAG lasers, the frequency of Er YAG lasers is at the resonant frequency of water, which leads it to being quickly absorbed. At a wavelength that it operates with, the Er YAG laser has the highest specificity for water absorption of all the mid infrared lasers. It is said that in the past, the wavelength has been specifically used for accurate ablation and cutting in different disciplines. These include areas in ophthalmology, laryngeal surgery and dermatology. Detailed histologic analyses of ablated tissue after irradiation with an Er YAG laser have described well defined cuts with small zones of thermal necrosis, no greater than 40 nm. The unique absorption peak of the Er YAG generated photons in water make them ideal for purposes such as cutting mineralized biologic tissues.

The study discussed in the article aimed to evaluate the efficacy and outcome of a new modality in the treatment of actinic cheilitis. This will be done with the Er YAG laser. The methods involved in the study were briefly discussed in the article. Between 2002 and 2005, 12 patients with actinic cheilitis were treated with the Er YAG laser and with the aid of zoom microscope. All patients were cured with no recurrence to date. It is also noted that none suffered postoperative complications. The results of the study were also presented. The patients involved in the investigation were men and women aged between 37 and 71 years. The outcome of the study showed that the healing duration varied from 7 to 30 days and the follow up ranged from 8 months to 3 years. The results noted that there were no recurrences detected in the study. The authors of the study thus concluded with their results that the use of the Er YAG laser provides accurate tissue ablation. It has given a very satisfactory cosmetic result. A short healing period was also associated with the Er YAG laser use. There were no complications such as lip deformity and sensation loss observed in the patients treated with the Er YAG laser with the aid of zoom microscope. Read the entire article