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.