Comparative Study Between the efficacy of Long-Pulsed Neodymium- YAG Laser and Fractional Co2 Laser in the Treatment of Striae Distensae.

Stretch marks, or striae distensae (SD), are the lesions of the dermis caused by its linear atrophy at the sites of stretching. They occur in more than 70% of pregnant women and adolescents as a result of cutaneous stretching. This study aimed at evaluating and comparing the clinical and histological efficacy of the fractional CO laser versus the long pulsed (LP) Nd: YAG laser in the treatment of striae alba. Thirty female subjects having bilateral symmetrical stretch marks were managed by the LP Nd: YAG laser on the right side and the fractional CO laser on the left side. The laser treatment course consisted of 3 sessions with an interval of 3 weeks. The patient satisfaction score and the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS) were employed in the study in order to assess the improvement 3 months after therapy. Punch biopsies measuring 4 mm were extracted from one lesion on each side at baseline and after the last treatment session by 3 months to evaluate the thickness of both collagen and epidermis Clinical improvement was more significant in the lesions treated by the LP Nd:YAG laser than those treated with the fractional CO laser. The patient satisfaction score and the GAIS were higher with a statistically significant value in the side treated by the LP Nd:YAG laser. Collagen and epidermal thickness increased more in the LP Nd: YAG laser-treated lesions in comparison to their thickness in the fractional CO laser-managed lesions, but this difference did not have a statistical significance. The clinical efficacy of the LP Nd-YAG laser exceeded that of the fractional CO laser in the treatment of striae alba without severe side effects in spite of the insignificant histological difference between the two lasers.