Laser in dermatology

BACKGROUND: Pulsed-dye lasers (PDL) are one of the standard therapies for rosacea, but alternatives are needed. AIMS: To compare the efficacy and safety of the variable-sequenced, large-spot 532 nm KTP laser to the 595 nm PDL in treating rosacea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective, controlled, evaluator-blinded study. Patients were treated with either a KTP or PDL with 1-3 sessions at intervals of 6-8 weeks. A follow-up visit was scheduled on Week 6 post-treatment...

Aluminium, the third most abundant element in the earth's crust, was long considered virtually innocuous to humans but has gained importance in the recent past. Aluminium is ubiquitous in the environment, with various sources of exposure like cosmetics, the food industry, occupational industries, the medical field, transport and electronics. Aluminium finds its utility in various aspects of dermatology as an effective haemostatic agent, anti-perspirant and astringent. Aluminium has a pivotal role to play in wound healing, calciphylaxis, photodynamic therapy and vaccine immunotherapy with diagnostic importance in Finn chamber patch testing and confocal microscopy...

Background Acne scars are one of the most common sequelae of inflammatory acne. It commonly affects adolescents and young adults and hence is associated with significant psychological morbidity. It is historically resistant to oral as well as surgical modalities. In the last two decades, ablative lasers (fractional or otherwise) have proven to be effective in management of acne scars. Some studies have proven the efficacy of platelet rich plasma in reducing the adverse effects and improving the efficacy of lasers...

INTRODUCTION: Vitiligo is a common depigmenting skin disorder. This work is performed to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of fire needles combined with 308 nm excimer laser therapy in treating vitiligo. METHODS: We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on fire needles combined with 308 nm excimer laser therapy with 308 nm excimer laser therapy alone for vitiligo were included...

INTRODUCTION: Multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) with cutaneous involvement has rarely been discussed in dermatologic literature, with few reports. Cutaneous lesions in MCD may induce deep scars, causing a significant impact in the daily life of the patients. The treatment of Castleman's disease (CD) is usually a challenge, especially in case of cutaneous involvement. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 35-year-old Caucasian man with a 3-year-old history of MCD with cutaneous involvement that we treated with a combined therapy characterized by siltuximab and 1,927 nm fractional laser...

BACKGROUND: Skin aging can be observed at various levels in the epidermis, dermis, and dermo-epidermal junction. Reducing the cosmetic effects of skin aging in the facial region is a widespread demand due to common aesthetic concerns. Consequently, many injectable products on the market promise antiaging effects and cosmetic improvements. We aimed to evaluate the cosmetic efficacy of a high molecular weight sodium hyaluronate and amino acids mixture for the facial region using morphometric analysis...

BACKGROUND: Exposure to environmental stressors like particulate matter (PM) and ultraviolet radiation (UV) induces cutaneous oxidative stress and inflammation and leads to skin barrier dysfunction and premature aging. Metals like iron or copper are abundant in PM and are known to contribute to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. AIMS: Although it has been suggested that topical antioxidant may be able to help in preventing and/or reducing outdoor skin damage, limited clinical evidence under real-life exposure conditions have been reported...

BACKGROUND: The human lip vermilion, also known as the red lip, is important to the quality of life and has long attracted the attention of cosmetic researchers. However, there is limited existing literature on the physiological characteristics and age-related alterations in the human vermilion. OBJECTIVE: We aim to provide an overview of the physiological characteristics and age-related alterations in the human vermilion. METHODS: This article is a result of previous research...

OBJECTIVE: Salicylic acid (SA) has been used for treatment of acne of different severity levels. However, there are few researches about the safety and efficacy for treatment of mild to moderate acne, and the improvement of the skin condition by using 2% supramolecular salicylic acid (SSA) compared to Davuwen Adapaline gel. METHODS: A multicenter, randomized, assessor-blind and parallel-controlled study was conducted. A total of 500 patients (trial group: 249, control group: 251) with mild to moderate (grade I-II) facial acne vulgaris were recruited in this study over a 16-week trial period...

BACKGROUND: Pigmented lesions are largely benign and may lead to extreme distress. Various light and lasers may be used to treat pigmentation, often Q-switched lasers are considered the method of choice, while intense pulsed light (IPL) devices may offer a less invasive treatment with a shorter downtime. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a narrowband IPL module for the treatment of pigmented lesions. METHODS: A retrospective study of 20 patients with pigmented lesions underwent treatment with an IPL module...

BACKGROUND: IPL devices emit a wide range of wavelengths that can be absorbed by different chromophores in the skin. Selective destruction of a specific chromophore with minimal side effects is controlled by wavelength, pulse duration, and fluence. AIM: This study aims to evaluate the treatment of vascular and pigmented lesions using narrow-band Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) with Advanced Fluorescence Technology (AFT), which offers more efficient energy usage per pulse to increase safety, and improve clinical outcomes...

BACKGROUND: Keloids are benign proliferative scars that form as a result of dysregulated growth and collagen deposition in response to cutaneous injury. Laser therapies have emerged as promising options for the treatment of keloids, with performance varying by laser type and lesion characteristics. PURPOSE: To assess the combined continuous wave and repetitive fractionated CO2 laser treatment of keloids. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 22 cases of keloid scars treated with combined CO2 laser modes...

BACKGROUND: The use of non-ablative fractionated lasers for skin rejuvenation has been proven to be effective in improving skin texture, and has become popular due to minimal wounding, significantly shorter recovery times and decreased adverse effects. OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze improvement in skin texture in healthy women aged over 18 years with Fitzpatrick skin types II-IV. METHODS: Participants received three facial and/or neck treatments with the 1570-nm fractional scanning diode laser at 1-month intervals...

BACKGROUND: Scarring is one of the most prevalent long-term complications of acne vulgaris and has cosmetic, psychological, and social burdens. Contemporary management programs integrate multiple modalities to best address the multiple factors underlying their development and persistence. This work assessed the impact of sequential multimodal laser therapy on acne scar geometrics and texture. METHODS: Adult patients (n = 16) with Fitzpatrick skin type II-IV and presenting with facial acne scars, underwent three combination ablative (CO2 ), and nonablative (1570 nm) laser treatment sessions at two-month intervals...

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study aims to compare the efficacy rates in treating hypertrophic scars among four distinct groups of patients who either underwent fractional Erbium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) laser or microplasma radiofrequency technology as standalone treatments or in combination with compound betamethasone transdermal administration. METHOD: The study retrospectively examined 208 patients treated at our institution from April 2011 to December 2022 for hypertrophic scars, receiving no less than three treatments (with an interval of 8 weeks between each)...

In the last years, hair removal has been one of the most common treatments performed for aesthetic purposes, especially in women. Nevertheless, even if it is less popular, the demand within men population has risen. The study aimed to assess the acceptability of the diode 810 nm treatment for hair removal on the back and chest area in men thanks to the speed of treatment and the absence of undesirable effects. For this study, 20 patients were treated for hair removal. They were men with a mean age of 30.5 (±7...

INTRODUCTION: Melasma is a chronic hyperpigmentation disorder, and its treatment poses a challenge to dermatologists due to its chronicity and resistance to conventional therapies. Oral isoniazid is used for the treatment of tuberculosis. One of us had previously showed that topical isoniazid exerts a strong depigmenting action in animal models. In this clinical trial, we assessed the therapeutic effect of topical isoniazid on melasma. METHODS: Twenty female patients suffering from epidermal melasma were enrolled and divided equally into two groups...

BACKGROUND: Skin 16S microbiome diversity analysis indicates that the Staphylococcus genus, especially Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), plays a crucial role in the inflammatory lesions of acne. However, current animal models for acne do not fully replicate human diseases, especially pustular acne, which limits the development of anti-acne medications. AIMS: The aim is to develop a mouse model for acne, establishing an animal model that more closely mimics the clinical presentation of pustular acne...

BACKGROUND: Botulinum toxin is a crucial therapeutic tool with broad indications in both cosmetic and medical fields. However, the expanding cosmetic use and increased dosages of botulinum toxin have raised concerns about resistance, making it essential to study the awareness and management practices among healthcare professionals. METHODS: A survey was conducted among clinical physicians using botulinum toxin. The study investigated their experiences, awareness, and management practices related to toxin resistance...

BACKGROUND: Pigment Red 53 is a dangerous synthetic dye that is often added to cosmetics, even though its use in cosmetic products has been prohibited because of possible impacts on health. Faster and more sensitive detection of Pigment Red 53 is needed for onsite analysis to protect the community from illegal cosmetics that contain the dye. Indicator color charts are a kind of analytical method that can be used to detect Pigment Red 53 in cosmetic products, including lipstick, rouge, and eyeshadow...