Treatment of facial port-wine stains with intense pulsed light: a prospective study.
BACKGROUND
Intense pulsed light (IPL) has been used for the treatment of port-wine stains for 10 years. There are many IPL systems that have different setting. Some of them have been reported in the treatment of fresh or laser-resistant port-wine stains localized in different body regions.


OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to conduct a prospective trial to assess the effectiveness of Lynton (The Lumina Family of Medical Flashlamp Systems) of the IPL family in the treatment of fresh facial port-wine stains.


METHODS
Twelve patients with facial and/or neck port-wine stains without previous treatment were enrolled in the trial. Patient demographics, treatment setting, outcome of clearing, and treatment complications were noted.


RESULTS
The treatment intervals were 4 to 6 weeks for three to six treatment sessions. Moderate improvement (50-75%) was achieved in 47% of the patients. Complete clearing was seen in only one patient (8.3%) after four treatment sessions. Hypertrophic scar formation in two patients occurred after healing blister. Except for the side effects, long-term complications were not seen.


CONCLUSIONS
Moderate effectiveness was achieved with IPL treatment in the facial port-wine stains.
Ozdemir
Mustafa
M
Department of Dermatology, Meram Medical Faculty, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey. mustafaozdemir@yahoo.com
Engin
Burhan
B
Mevlitoğlu
Inci
I
D000328:Adult; D017439:Cicatrix, Hypertrophic / Q000209:etiology; D005145:Face / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009333:Neck / Q000473:pathology; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D019339:Port-Wine Stain / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome