Pulsed dye laser treatment of rosacea using a novel 15 mm diameter treatment beam

Eric F Bernstein, Kevin Schomacker, Amit Paranjape, Christopher J Jones, Eric F Bernstein, Kevin Schomacker, Amit Paranjape, Christopher J Jones

Abstract

Background: The pulsed-dye laser has been used to treat facial redness and rosacea for decades. Recent advances in dye laser technology enable 50% higher output energies supporting 50% larger treatment areas, and beam-diameters up to 15 mm with clinically-relevant fluences. In this study, we investigate this novel pulsed-dye laser using a 15 mm diameter beam for treatment of rosacea.

Methods: Twenty subjects with erythemato-telangiectatic rosacea were enrolled in the study. A total of 4 monthly treatments were administered, first treating linear vessels with a 3 × 10 mm elliptical beam, then diffuse redness with a 15-mm diameter circular beam. Blinded assessment of digital, cross-polarized photographs taken 2 months following the last treatment was performed using an 11-point clearance scale.

Results: Nineteen subjects completed the study. Blinded reviewers correctly identified baseline photos in 55 out of the total of 57 images (96.5%). The blinded reviewers scored 17 of the 19 subjects with an improvement greater than 40%, and 11 of the 19 subjects greater than 50%. The average improvement was 53.9%. Side effects were limited to mild edema, mild to moderate erythema, and mild to moderate bruising.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that a newly designed pulsed-dye laser having a novel 15-mm diameter treatment beam improves the appearance of rosacea with a favorable safety profile. Lasers Surg. Med. 50:808-812, 2018. © 2018 The Authors. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Keywords: 610-645-5151 f; 610-645-5551 p; laser; pulsed dye laser; rosacea; treatment.

© 2018 The Authors. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Baseline (A,C,E) and post‐treatment (B,D,F) cross‐polarized images. All follow‐up images were collected 2‐months following the last treatment. The subject in figures E and F had only three treatments.

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