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Telemedicine involves distant exchange of medical information between health providers and patients via a telecommunication device with/without the aid of an audiovisual interactive assistance. The current COVID 19 pandemic impact on health services mandated an utmost readiness to implement telemedicine which in part is dependent on health care providers willingness to adopt such platforms. The aim of this cross sectional study was to assess knowledge and attitude toward telemedicine Egyptian dermatologists amidst the COVID 19 pandemic. A cross sectional study was designed and data were collected using structured self-administered online questionnaires. Dermatologists had a good knowledge about telemedicine (mean 4.17 ± 1.63; p <.05). Of those completing the questionnaire, 193 (68.9%) were familiar with the term 'telemedicine' and 164 (58.6%) were familiar with tools like teleconferencing. The majority of responding dermatologists 227 (81.1%) were confident that the COVID 19 pandemic is a good opportunity to start applying telemedicine protocols however the majority 234 (83.6%) preferred using it on trial basis at first before full implementation. In conclusion an overall good attitude toward telemedicine was reported with a mean of 3.39 (p <.05). Further large scale studies are required to verify such findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fractional CO2 laser is one of the most effective treatment options used to resurface scars. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of early treatment of postsurgical scar by fractional ablative CO2 laser. Methods: A total of 27 Egyptian patients with recent postoperative scars were enrolled in this study. Three sessions of fractional CO2 laser with a 1-month interval were started 4 weeks after surgery. Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) was used as an assessment tool at 1 and 3 months after the final treatment. Patients reported their satisfaction using a subjective 4-point scale. Results: Results demonstrated a statistically significant overall average improvement of the VSS (5.33±1.33) before compared with (2.55±1.06) 3 months after the last laser treatment (P≤0.001). Among the individual parameters in the VSS, the most significant improvements were found in pigmentation, height, and pliability. Patient's subjective satisfaction scores showed a significant greater degree of satisfaction after laser treatment. Conclusion: Fractional ablative CO2 laser is an effective and safe treatment modality for surgical scars in the early postsurgical period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Non-ablative fractional erbium-doped glass 1540 nm and fractional ablative 10600 nm carbon dioxide lasers are regarded as effective modalities for treating acne atrophic scars. In this study, we aimed to compare the effectiveness of fractional CO2 laser and fractional nonablative 1540 nm erbium doped glass laser in treating post acne atrophic scars in Egyptian patients. Methods: Fifty-eight patients complaining of moderate and severe acne atrophic scars were randomly divided into 2 groups of 29 patients each. Both groups were subjected to 4 treatment sessions with 3 weeks interval and were followed up for 3 months. In group A, enrolled patients received CO2 laser, while in group B, patients were treated with 1540 nm erbium glass fractional laser. Results: Clinical assessment revealed that the mean grades of progress and improvement were higher with fractional 10600 nm CO2 laser but with non-significant difference between both treatments (P = 0.1). The overall patients' satisfaction with both lasers were not significantly different (P = 0.44). Conclusion: Both fractional ablative CO2 and fractional non-ablative erbium glass lasers are good modalities for treating acne scars with a high efficacy and safety profile and good patient satisfaction. The fractional ablative laser showed higher efficacy while non-ablative laser offered less pain and shorter downtime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the use of a pinpoint irradiation technique followed by nonablative fractional technique in treatment of traumatic scars. Thirteen patients with traumatic sacrs were treated with pinpoint technique of CO2 laser using traditional headpiece activating laser at a frequency (50 Hz) to deliver pulsed mode with power of 1 W using the focusing technique followed by 3-5 passes of the nonablative 1540 nm fractional Er:glass laser. An independent physician evaluator assessed the treatment outcomes using Vancouver scar scale (VSS) and 5-point grading scale (grade 0, no improvement; grade 1, 1-25%; grade 2, 26-50%; grade 3, 51-75%; grade 4, 76-100% improvement). After the final treatment, average percentage changes of VSS were 41.5%. Improvement was evident in terms of vascularity, pigmentation, and height, while insignificant in terms of Pliability. Based on physician's global assessment, mean grade of 2.5 was achieved. Patient's subjective satisfaction scores paralleled the physician's objective evaluation. Pinpoint irradiation technique by CO2 laser followed by nonablative fractional laser is a safe and effective modality in treatment of scars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]