ABSTRACT
References 566
Facial skin rejuvenation has always been a topic of great interest. Ancient Egyptians used a
variety of methods which included vegetable extracts, mud packs, and soured milk to
refresh the skin. The recent era has brought about topical agents such as retinoic acid,
retinol, antioxidants, alpha-hydroxy acids, trichloroaectic acid, phenol, and physical
modalities such as dermabrasion, microdermabrasion, as well as carbon dioxide and
erbium:yttrium-aluminium-garnet (Er:YAG) lasers. In order to achieve rapid and signifi-
cant improvement of sun-damaged skin, the outer photodamaged layer must be removed,
allowing subsequent healing and re-epithelialization.