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Long-Pulsed Alexandrite Plus Low-Fluence Nd:YAG Laser to Treat Rosacea
According to a study published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, long-pulsed alexandrite laser (LPAL) may be an alternative treatment option for rosacea, producing results comparable to pulsed-dye laser (PDL) in reducing the erythema index (EI) in patients with rosacea.
Researchers performed a randomized split-face comparative study of LPAL plus low-fluence Nd:YAG verses PDL in the treatment of rosacea to compare effectiveness. A total of 27 patients clinically diagnosed with rosacea were included in the single-blind randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomly assigned to receive LPAL plus low-fluence Nd:YAG 4 times a month on 1 side of their face. The contralateral side served as the control treated with PDL. Skin analysis systems were used to measure the EI. Digital photographs for the 5-point Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS) were evaluated by 2 independent dermatologists at each visit.
One month after the fourth treatment, the EI decreased on both treated sides with LPAL (366.5 ± 101.0 vs. 295.8 ± 90.2, P < .001) and PDL (369.0 ± 124.3 vs. 302.7 ± 92.1, P < .001). The EI reduction was maintained on both sides 3 months after the fourth treatment with LPAL (360.3 ± 96.8 vs. 282.0 ± 89.2, P < .001) and PDL (364.3 ± 121.6 vs. 281.6 ± 97.8, P < .001). When comparing EI improvement between the 2 groups on visit 5, LPAL was 18.7 ± 15.7% and PDL was 16.4 ± 12.9%, P = .501. At visit 6, LPAL was 21.7 ± 13.9% and PDL was 21.9 ± 15.2%, P = .943. LPAL and PDL were comparable in the GAIS and patient satisfaction. No serious adverse events occurred on either of the treated sides.
“This study showed that the decrease in EI in the treatment of rosacea was comparable between PDL and LPAL,” concluded the study authors. “Therefore, LPAL could be a promising alternative treatment option with good merits for rosacea, considering no consumables are required for device maintenance,” they added.
Reference
Park S, Lee JH, Kang E, et al. A randomized split-face comparative study of long-pulsed alexandrite plus low-fluence Nd:YAG laser versus pulsed-dye laser in the treatment of rosacea. Lasers Surg Med. Published online: November 2022. doi:10.1002/lsm.23605
