New laser resurfacing therapy promising for actinic keratoses

January 11, 2013 in Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

For patients with facial photodamage and actinic keratoses, treatment with a new fractional resurfacing technique that uses a 1927-nm nonablative thulium laser reduces the number of facial actinic keratoses and produces noticeable improvement in overall photodamage, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

(HealthDay)—For patients with facial photodamage and actinic keratoses (AK), treatment with a new fractional resurfacing technique that uses a 1927-nm nonablative thulium laser reduces the number of facial AK and produces noticeable improvement in overall photodamage, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

In an effort to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of a fractional resurfacing technique that utilizes a nonablative 1927-nm thulium laser, Elliot T. Weiss, M.D., of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York in New York City, and colleagues conducted a six-month prospective study involving 24 individuals with facial photodamage and AK. Patients received up to four treatments at two- to six-week intervals and were evaluated at one, three, and six months after the final treatment.

The researchers found that, at one month after the final treatment, there was a 91.3 percent reduction in the average number of facial AK from baseline (from 14.4 to 1.22). This effect was sustained at three and six months, with 87.3 and 86.6 percent reductions, respectively, in the absolute number of lesions. At six months, a marked or noticeable improvement in overall photodamage was reported.

"The clinical and histologic findings, as well as the reported patient satisfaction and safety, suggest that the treatment of AK and photodamage with a fractionated 1927-nm nonablative thulium laser is a promising new therapeutic option," the authors write.