Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
Volume 60, Issue 5 , Pages 801-807, May 2009

Comparison of a 585-nm pulsed dye laser and a 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser for the treatment of acne scars: A randomized split-face clinical study

  • Dong Hun Lee, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
    • ,
  • Yu Sung Choi, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
    • Acne Research Laboratory, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
    • ,
  • Seong Uk Min, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
    • Acne Research Laboratory, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
    • ,
  • Mi Young Yoon, BS

      Affiliations

    • Acne Research Laboratory, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
    • ,
  • Dae Hun Suh, MD, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
    • Acne Research Laboratory, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: Dae Hun Suh, MD, PhD, Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-Dong, Chongno-Gu, Seoul 110-744, Korea.

published online 17 February 2009.

Background

No studies have reported a comparison of the pulsed dye laser (PDL) and the 1064-nm long-pulsed neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser treatment of acne scars in the same patient.

Objective

To compare the efficacies of these two lasers in the treatment of acne scars.

Methods

Eighteen patients received 4 sessions of PDL or Nd:YAG laser at 2-week intervals in a randomized split-face manner.

Results

Both lasers induced notable and comparable improvement in the appearance of acne scars, particularly superficial scars, with significant reductions in the scores associated with the clinical evaluation scale for acne scarring (ECCA). Histologic evaluations revealed significant increases in collagen production and deposition following both lasers. Patient satisfaction scores concurred with these improvements. Ice-pick scars and boxcar scars tended to respond better to PDL and Nd:YAG lasers, respectively.

Limitations

The number of subjects was small.

Conclusions

Both lasers are effective modalities for the treatment of acne scars. Optimal outcomes might be achieved considering scar types and responses to a specific laser.

Key words: acne scar, ECCA grading scale, Nd:YAG laser, pulsed dye laser

Abbreviations used: ECCA, Echelle d'évaluation clinique des cicatrices d'acné [clinical evaluation scale for acne scarring], Er:YAG, erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet, Nd:YAG, neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet, PDL, pulsed dye laser, TGF, transforming growth factor

 

 Dong Hun Lee, MD, and Yu Sung Choi, MD, contributed equally to this work as first authors.

 Funding sources: None.

 Conflicts of interest: None declared.

PII: S0190-9622(08)02454-7

doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2008.11.883

Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
Volume 60, Issue 5 , Pages 801-807, May 2009