A pilot study on the treatment of facial rhytids using nonablative 585-nm pulsed dye and 532-nm Nd:YAG lasers.
BACKGROUND
There have been reports of successfully using the pulsed dye laser and long-pulse Nd:YAG laser to improve skin wrinkles.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy of these lasers in the treatment of moderate to severe wrinkles.


METHODS
Seven subjects had one side of their periorbital wrinkles treated with pulsed dye laser (585 nm, 0.45 ms, 2.5 J/cm2, single-pass 10% overlap, three treatments at 6 weeks apart). The second part of the study involved using the long-pulse Nd:YAG laser (532 nm, 2 ms, 7.0 J/cm2 with cooling, three laser passes, three treatments at 6 weeks apart) to treat the contralateral wrinkles in five subjects. Pretreatment and posttreatment photographs were taken, and blinded assessors were asked to choose the better of the two unlabeled photographs.


RESULTS
Assessors found that two of the seven subjects had a better posttreatment photograph in the pulsed dye laser-treated group. Three of five subjects had a better posttreatment photograph in the long-pulse Nd:YAG laser-treated group. None of the subjects reported any subjective improvements.


CONCLUSIONS
Neither the pulsed dye laser nor the long-pulse Nd:YAG laser at the previously mentioned parameters produced any improvement in moderate to severe facial wrinkles.
Woo
Wai Kit
WK
Department of Dermatology, Ulster Hospital, The Royal Hospitals, Grosvenor Road, Belfast BT12 6BA, N. Ireland, United Kingdom. keithwoo@doctors.org.uk
Handley
Julian M
JM
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009354:Neodymium; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015361:Rhytidoplasty / Q000379:methods*; D015019:Yttrium
D009354:Neodymium; D015019:Yttrium