Fractional photothermolysis for the treatment of striae distensae in Asian skin.
BACKGROUND
Striae distensae (SD) are dermal scars characterized by linear atrophic depressions. Fractional photothermolysis (FP) is an effective modality for the treatment of cutaneous scars.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the safety and efficacy of FP for the treatment of SD in Asian skin.


METHODS
Six female volunteers aged between 20 and 35 years with chronic striae albae phase SD on both buttocks were enrolled. SD lesions on the right buttock were irradiated with a 1550-nm FP laser and patients were followed every 4 weeks for a total of 8 weeks. Outcome assessments included serial photographs, erythema index and melanin index tracking, skin elasticity, histologic examination, and the patients' subjective satisfaction scores.


RESULTS
FP treatment was associated with a substantial improvement in the appearance of SD at 8 weeks post-treatment. The erythema index and melanin index of the treated SD lesions tended to converge with those of the control skin at 4-week follow-up. Skin elasticity was found to be partially normalized after FP. In addition, there was a significant increase in epidermal thickness, collagen, and elastic fiber deposition after FP as demonstrated by histologic examination. Adverse effects of FP included mild and transient pain and hyperpigmentation.


CONCLUSIONS
FP can reduce SD by stimulating new collagen and elastic fiber synthesis. In addition, repetitive treatments might constitute an effective approach to improving the treatment of SD.
Kim
Beom Joon
BJ
Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.
Lee
Dong Hun
DH
Kim
Myeung Nam
MN
Song
Kye Yong
KY
Cho
Wan Ik
WI
Lee
Chang Kyun
CK
Kim
Jo Yong
JY
Kwon
Oh Sang
OS
D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D002081:Buttocks / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000208:ethnology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D062109:Dermatologic Surgical Procedures; D004548:Elasticity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008543:Melanins; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000208:ethnology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D008543:Melanins