Comparison of pulsed dye laser versus combined pulsed dye laser and Nd:YAG laser in the treatment of inflammatory acne vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Both pulsed dye laser and combined 585/1064-nm (sequential dual-wavelength PDL and Nd:YAG) laser improves inflammatory skin disorders including acne vulgaris.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of 585-nm pulsed dye laser versus sequential dual-wavelength PDL and Nd:YAG in treatment of acne vulgaris.

PATIENTS AND METHOD: Thirty patients with acne vulgaris were treated by PDL alone on half of the face while contra lateral half was treated by combined 585/1064 nm laser.

RESULTS: The study showed that inflammatory acne lesions count was significantly reduced by 82.5% (p 0.0001) on PDL sides and by 83.5% (p 0.00001) on combined 585/1064-nm side after 8 weeks, while reduction of non-inflammatory acne lesions was observed at 8 weeks by 58.4% and 71.5% respectively. However, difference between the two modalities was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: PDL and combined PDL/Nd:YAG laser treatment were found to be an effective, safe and well-tolerated treatment option for inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne vulgaris.