Acne scars may respond to fixed array fractional erbium laser

Skin & Allergy News, June, 2008

KISSIMMEE, FLA. -- Treatment with a fixed array fractional 1540-nm erbium laser was effective for improving acne scars, a review of 181 patients found.

At 3-month follow-up, the patients who underwent three treatments at 4-week intervals with the Lux1540 laser (Palomar Medical Technologies Inc., Burlington, Mass.) had a median improvement of 3 by Canfield blinded photographic evaluation (Canfield Scientific Inc. Omnia system), which translates to a 50%-75% improvement in scar appearance, Dr. Robert A. Weiss reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery.

Treatments were given using the 10-mm, 100-microbeam per pulse handpiece for a minimum of three passes per treatment site at 10-millisecond pulse duration. Fluence was set at 50-70 mJ/microbeam, said Dr. Weiss of the Maryland Laser, Skin, and Vein Institute, Baltimore.

Self-assessed treatment results indicated that the patients were pleased with the outcomes, with 85% rating their skin as improved. Patient self-assessment indicated that pain was minimal, with a reported average pain score of 2.75 out of 10.

Side effects were minimal and included mild erythema and edema, which resolved in all patients within 24 hours.

The findings suggest that a minimal fluence of 50 mJ/microbeam with three passes is required to achieve improvement in acne scars with this laser, Dr. Weiss noted.

The study was supported by Palomar, which provided Dr. Weiss with equipment, discounts, a research grant, and honoraria.