What are some uses for the standard carbon dioxide laser?

Treatment of warts has been the hallmark of CO₂ laser therapy. Large plantar and periungual warts are effectively treated. The main advantage of CO₂ laser treatment in these larger warts is the ability to decrease the bleeding during the laser excision and a slight decrease in scarring. Any benign lesion may be removed using CO₂ laser but this is not a common method used in dermatology. CO₂ lasers in a high-power focused mode are very effective at surgical cutting, especially in patients on anticoagulants or those with other bleeding disorders.

Olbricht SM: Use of the CO₂ laser in dermatologic surgery, J Dermatol Surg Oncol 19:364–369, 1993.