Idiopathic Flushing with Dysesthesia: Treatment with the 585nm Pulsed Dye Laser.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to analyze the efficacy and safety of the 585nm pulsed dye laser for the treatment of idiopathic flushing with dysesthesia.


METHODS
This was a retrospective study of patients treated with a 585nm pulsed dye laser with fluences ranging from 3.5 to 7.5J/cm(2) (purpura threshold fluences), a pulse duration of 450μsec, and a spot size of 5 or 10mm.


METHODS
The Ronald 0. Perelman Department of Dermatology at New York University Medical Center.


METHODS
Ten adult subjects who presented with flushing with dysesthesia.


METHODS
PARTICIPANTS subjectively evaluated the decrease in dysesthesia and the number of flushing episodes. The objective response to treatment was evaluated by a single physician using pre- and postoperative photographs. The severity of postoperative erythema was compared with baseline using an ordinal scale ranging from zero (resolution of erythema) to four (76-100% of baseline erythema).


RESULTS
The mean number of treatments received by the subjects was seven. The mean fluence was 6.66J/cm(2). Subjectively, 100 percent of subjects reported a decrease in dysethesia and the number of flushing episodes. OBJECTIVEly, subjects demonstrated at least a 62.5-percent reduction in erythema.


CONCLUSIONS
Laser surgery provided subjective relief of dysesthesia and decreased the number of flushing episodes with a greater than 62-percent objective reduction in the severity of erythema. The 585nm pulsed dye laser is a safe, efficacious treatment for the signs and symptoms of idiopathic flushing with dysesthesia.
Department of Dermatology, Columbia University, and Dermatology Center of Rockland, P.C., New York, New York, and Orangeburg, New York;
Joshua P
JP
Fogelman
Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York;
Mary L
ML
Stevenson
Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York; ; Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, New Jersey.
Robin
R
Ashinoff
Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York;
Nicholas A
NA
Soter