Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy : Official Publication of the European Society for Laser Dermatology

Facial and neckline telangiectasias have an underestimated yet important impact on quality of life of patients with systemic scleroderma (SSc). This monocentric, prospective, open-label, intra-patient comparative study was conducted in 21 consecutive patients with SSc. Patients underwent 4 sessions of PDL 8 weeks apart. A final quadruple assessment was performed by several raters 2 months after the last session, based on the following criteria: change in telangiectasia number; subjective improvement score (LINKERT scale); impact on the quality of life (QoL; SKINDEX score); visual analog pain scale; adverse effects (AEs), including treatment discontinuation for PDL-induced purpura and patient satisfaction...

Radiofrequency microneedle (RFM) is relatively safe to use for all skin types but there is still possibility of adverse events. Tram-track scarring or uniform papular eruptions is a rarely reported adverse event, but it is challenging to manage. We report a case of successful treatment of tram track scarring post RFM using a combination of light emitting diodes 640 nm and a salicylic acid peel and home treatment with a combination of azelaic acid and retinoic acid. There is still no standard therapy to treat this case...

Serious complications of cosmetic filler injections include vascular necrosis if the filler is injected into an artery. The use of a microcannula for filler injection has been reported to be safer with lower rates of vascular occlusion. We report a case of vessel infiltration that was noted prior to injection with microcannula which identifies an additional safety step for injectors. This case highlights the potential for devastating vascular occlusion with microcannula use while also demonstrating methods to identify vascular infiltration prior to filler injection...

This study evaluated the effects of laser application of diverse wavelengths applied simultaneously and on different skins. The sample included two participants, a woman with light skin with abdominal hair and a woman with dark skin and hair on the inner part of the lower limbs, who received a laser therapy session. After 45 days from laser application, abdominoplasty and thigh dermolipectomy surgery were performed. In the control sample, the hair follicles were in the anagen phase, showing the presence of Bcl-2 expression...

Photobiomodulation is a treatment option for hair loss and is currently FDA cleared for androgenetic alopecia. There are a variety of photobiomodulation devices intended for at-home patient use. However, data examining user preferences is lacking. A social media-based, online survey study was completed to understand patient preferences when selecting a photobiomodulation device. Secondary outcomes examined patient experience with the device. Sixty participants responded to the 21-question survey. The majority of participants had never used a photobiomodulation device ( n  = 50; 86...

Radiofrequency microneedling (RFM) has recently become a popular choice for the treatment of various dermatologic conditions and rejuvenation. Many studies have sought to evaluate the efficacy of RFM. However, its role in the management of these conditions remains unclear. A comprehensive literature search including randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and case series evaluating the efficacy of RFM in various skin conditions was performed. In this review, we discuss the history and mechanism of RFM, describe various device features, and discuss the use of RFM in various skin conditions and rejuvenation...

We compared the effectiveness and safety of the long-pulsed neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser alone and combined with a 755-nm alexandrite laser for treating palmoplantar warts. We divided patients into two groups to receive up to four monthly treatments with Nd:YAG alone (single-wavelength) or combined with the alexandrite laser (dual-wavelength). We assessed treatment responses (according to clearance rate), vascular/hyperkeratosis grades, and patient satisfaction and pain ratings. The differences in treatment response ( p  = ...

Given the relevance of laser application, the objective of this study was to carry out a systematic review to verify the therapeutic effects of laser application on psoriasis plaques. The databases used were PubMED, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, and in the gray literature: Google Scholar, Open Grey and LIVIVO. A total of 1,227 records were found, after removal of duplicates 851 studies remained for Phase 1 (reading titles and abstracts) and 31 for Phase 2 (reading the full studies) and finally 9 studies remained for this review, 7 randomized and 2 non-randomized...

The lack of uniform and objective techniques to evaluate treatment efficacy in photo-epilation studies leads to contradictory results. Thus, there is an urgent need to explore commonly accepted assessment tools. One of the most common methods uses hair counts via digital photography. However, macrophotography may not be able to depict the vellus-like hair induced by photo-epilation. On the other hand, handheld dermatoscopy is practical, affordable and offers high-quality magnification. Hair counts from a handheld dermatoscope and a digital camera were compared in 73 women who underwent 6 sessions with the Alexandrite 755 nm laser...

OBJECTIVE: to report a possibly novel complication of laser hair removal. CASE REPORT: a white-skinned 18-year-old patient discovered an umbilical, brown, and raised lesion while shaving before his second diode laser hair removal session. He sought consultation before his fourth laser session since the lesion further thickened and darkened. Dermoscopy showed no pigmented network, but a few comedo-like openings within an erythematous-light brown scaly and fissured papule, "moth-eaten" borders, and a central crust due to manipulation, suggesting the diagnosis of seborrheic keratosis...

BACKGROUND: Laser hair removal is an increasingly prevalent trend of cosmetic procedures. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of hair reduction among several types of laser interventions. METHODS: The selected studies searched in PubMed and EMBASE were assessed for quality of evidence, and extracted data on absolute hair count and hair reduction rate. Qualitative data were synthesized using standardized mean difference (SMD) in frequentist network meta-analysis because various measurement units were used among selected studies...

The goal was to determine ways to optimize diagnostic and therapeutic measures for various types of melasma in the outpatient setting of the dermatovenerological ambulatory clinic. The study involved 112 women with a confirmed diagnosis of facial melasma whose disease lasted for at least 2 years. The severity of patient pigmentation was evaluated using the Melasma Area Severity Index and the Melasma Severity Scale. There was a significant increase in melanin levels across all melasma types, an increase in erythema in the dermal type, and an increase in sebum production in the epidermal type...

BACKGROUND: Striae gravidarum (SG) is a common pregnancy-related dermatologic problem, for which finding an effective treatment remains a challenge. AIM: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of 1540 nm non-ablative fractional laser (Star lux 500) in the treatment of SG in Iranian women and peruse the relationship between clinical improvement rate and patient characteristics as well as clinical features of striae. METHOD: A prospective before-after study was conducted on 50 patients with SG who received three monthly sessions of 1540 nm non-ablative fractional laser and were followed for 2 months after the last treatment session...

Patterned hair loss is a common type of non-scarring alopecia, characterized by miniaturization of hair follicles. The etiology of female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is not clearly linked to androgens or other hormones thereby making it a challenging condition to treat. Various treatment modalities, like minoxidil (topical or oral), spironolactone, finasteride, have been tried alone or in combination with variable results. Combination therapy is superior to the monotherapy, since these multiple treatment modalities act by targeting different pathogenetic pathways, making the treatment aggressive and more effective...

Port-wine stains (PWS) are frequently refractory to laser treatments. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of treatment interval time. From 1990, 216 patients underwent Pulsed Dye Laser sessions. The laser sessions were scheduled at a minimum interval of 4 weeks to a maximum of 48 weeks. Clinical outcomes were assessed 8 weeks after the last laser session. Better results were obtained with 8 weeks interval time between therapy session, and high efficacies were also found for intervals of 4, 6 and 10 weeks...

BACKGROUND: Cellulite of the upper lateral and posterior thighs and lower buttocks represents a common unwanted condition. OBJECTIVES: The author sought to comparea LLLT-LED bed therapy and a novel topical anti-cellulite gel on one thigh/buttock cellulite vs light therapy for cellulite to the opposite side. METHODS: Eight healthy female subjects were randomly treated with a LLLT-LED bed twice weekly for 20 minutes in prone/supine positions with twice daily application of a novel anti-cellulite gel to one randomized thigh/buttock...

Statement of RetractionWe, the Editors and Publisher of the Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy have retracted the following article:Antonella Tammaro, Irene Romano, Francesca Parisella, Flavia Persechino & Severino Persechino (2016) A case of Koebner phenomenon in a patient with tattoo to lips, Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, DOI: 10.1080/14764172.2016.1197401Since publication of the accepted author version, authors have not responded to requests to submit corrections and approve proofs, preventing the final publication of the Version of Record (VoR)...

Statement of RetractionWe, the Editors and Publisher of the Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy have retracted the following article:Regia Celli Patriota de Sica, Consuelo J. Rodrigues, Durvanei Augusto Maria & Luís Carlos Cucé (2016) Study of 1550nm Erbium Glass Laser Fractional non-ablative treatment of photoaging: Comparative clinical effects, histopathology, electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry, Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, DOI: 10.1080/14764172.2016.1191647Since publication of the accepted author version, authors have not responded to requests to submit corrections and approve proofs, preventing the final publication of the Version of Record (VoR)...

Acne scars lead to physical and psychological problems for young adults therefore they should be treated effectively. Fractional carbon dioxide (FCL) and radiofrequency (FRFL) lasers have been both used for acne scars. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectivity and satisfaction of combined FCL and FRFL treatment for acne scars and evaluate effect of these treatments especially on atrophic scar types retrospectively. A total of 41 patients with acne scars who received FCL + FRFL were included in this study...

Laser-assisted drug delivery (LADD) is a new treatment for delivering drugs within the skin. This meta-analysis investigates the effectiveness and safety of the laser-assisted delivery of tranexamic acid (TXA) to treat melasma. A literature review was conducted by searching publication platforms to search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared laser-assisted delivery of TXA with laser-alone or topical TXA-alone treatment. The Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library databases were searched, and Melasma Area Severity Index (MASI)/modified MASI (mMASI) scores used as the clinical improvement outcomes...