Pulsed Dye Laser for the Treatment of Hypergranulation Tissue with Chronic Ulcer in Postsurgical Defects

Background and Objective: Hypergranulation tissue may complicate postoperative wounds, causing them to become chronic nonhealing ulcers. There is no reliably effective treatment. We report the use of the 595-nm pulsed-dye laser (PDL) for the treatment of wounds healing by second intention and complicated by hypergranulation tissue after Mohs micrographic surgery. Methods: In a retrospective case review, 9 patients with slow-healing or nonhealing postoperative wounds with hypergranulation tissue were treated with the 595-nm PDL. The majority of the wounds were located on the scalp, forehead, and temple. Results: All of the patients demonstrated dramatic improvement after one treatment. Most patients achieved complete or near complete re-epithelialization of the ulcers after 1 to 2 treatments. The PDL treatment required no local anesthesia, and there were no postlaser treatment complications reported. Conclusions: The 595-nm PDL is an effective, safe, and reliable treatment to promote second intention healing in postsurgical wounds complicated by the formation of hypergranulation tissue.