FRIDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Pulsed-dye laser can be used to safely and effectively treat rosacea, according to an article published online April 15 in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.
Eric F. Bernstein, M.D., of Laser Surgery and Cosmetic Dermatology Centers in Bryn Mawr, Pa., and colleagues treated 20 individuals with rosacea using high-energy, long pulse-duration pulsed-dye laser in four sessions at four-week intervals. An elliptical spot and long pulse-duration was used to treat linear telangiectasias, while a circular spot and short pulse-duration was used over the entire face. Improvement was assessed by blinded evaluation of digital photographs taken before and eight weeks after treatment, as well as by the treating physician's subjective evaluation.
The average rosacea score, as determined by the treating physician, improved from 2.7 to 1.4 using a 0 (no rosacea) to 6 (severe rosacea) scale. The average rosacea score as determined by blinded physicians rating digital photographs was 2.3 before treatment and 1.4 eight weeks after treatment using a 0 (mild) to 6 (severe) scale, the report indicates. Patient-reported pain with the procedure averaged 6 on a 0 (no pain) to 10 (severe pain) scale.
"The high-energy, long pulse-duration pulsed-dye laser improves rosacea with a very favorable safety profile, and less purpura than resulted from earlier generation pulsed-dye lasers," the authors conclude.
Abstract
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