Ablative fractionated laser Tx promising for actinic keratosis

(HealthDay)—For patients with actinic keratoses (AKs), one treatment with ablative fractionated laser (AFXL) produces a modest temporary reduction in AKs, according to a study published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Stephanie D. Gan, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues examined whether one treatment with AFXL could effectively treat facial AKs. Twelve patients were enrolled into a randomized, controlled, split-face study. Three of the patients were lost to follow-up.

The researchers found that at one month, there were significantly fewer AKs on the treatment side (47 versus 71 percent of baseline lesions); this difference was not sustained at three months (49 versus 57 percent). Most of the AKs that were cleared at one month were thin or grade I (73 versus 36 percent reduction in treated versus untreated; P = 0.002). At the follow-up visits, there was very little change in the number of grade II and III AKs (6 versus 7 percent reduction in treated versus untreated; P = 0.94). After treatment there was a trend toward decreased development of new lesions, although the difference did not reach statistical significance.

"Additional studies with a larger cohort, longer follow-up, and a more diverse patient population are needed to confirm the findings from this preliminary study," the authors write.

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