Dual wavelength treatment protocol with a picosecond laser for the reduction of facial wrinkles.

INTRODUCTION: The potential of a dual wavelength picosecond laser, as a new modality for treating photoaged skin, was investigated in this clinical study.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Subjects with bilateral mild-to-moderate facial wrinkling received four picosecond laser treatments, at 3-8 weeks apart, with a double-pass of both 532-nm and 1064-nm split-beam handpieces. Blinded evaluation of clinical photography, by two independent physicians, using the Fitzpatrick Elastosis Scale, was performed at 12 weeks after the fourth treatment.

RESULTS: Twenty subjects (19 females; mean age 55 ± 7 years, Fitzpatrick Skin Types II-IV) were treated. Blinded evaluation demonstrated 75% (15/20) of the treated faces had improvement of at least one point. Investigator assessments showed a 100% improvement rate in the appearance of wrinkles and a mean elastosis score (ES) improvement of 2.1 ± 0.8 points. Subject satisfaction rate was 74%. Treatments were associated with no to mild discomfort with a mean score of 3.7 ± 1.9 on a scale of 0 (no pain) to 10. Common treatment responses included erythema (98%) and edema (7.5%) that generally resolved within several hours of treatment.

CONCLUSION: In this study, picosecond laser treatments resulted in significant improvement in facial wrinkles. There were no complications with treatment and minimal downtime.