Table 1 Summary of lasers, intense pulsed light, radiofrequency, and ultrasound for traumatic scars

Pulsed dye laser, potassium titanyl phosphate laser, and intense pulsed light

Target hemoglobin and decrease blood supply [25]; increase expression of CTGF [26, 27]

Improve scar color, texture, and pliability [23, 28,29,30,31]

Factional lasers

Fractional photothermolysis [33, 34] and collagen remodeling [38,39,40]

Improve in appearance and contracture [35, 42,43,44], relieve pain and pruritus [35, 41, 42], and facilitate drug delivery [45, 46]

Radiofrequency devices

Create micro-plasma sparks and induce thermolysis [51,52,53]

Effective for both hypertrophic and atrophic scars [52, 54] and facilitate drug delivery [57,58,59]

Ultrasound

Acoustic pressure and “hammering” effect [57]

Adjuvant therapy for traumatic scars [57,58,59]