Visible and Quantifiable Improvement in Skin Roughness and Texture Using a High Power Non-ablative 1540-nm Fractional Erbium: Glass Laser.

BACKGROUND

Non-ablative fractional laser treatments for improving skin tone and rejuvenation have become increasingly popular due to short downtime and fewer side effects compared to ablative treatments.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to determine the efficacy of a non-ablative 1540-nm fractional erbium: glass laser in improving skin roughness and skin texture.

METHODS

The forehead, cheek, and nasal areas of 15 patients were treated for five monthly sessions using a 7x7 pixel tip (1.21cm affective area, approximately 300 microns diameter per pixel), fluence of 2,500 to 3,000 mJ/pulse (40-62 mJ/Pixel), and three stacked pulses were emitted at a rate of 1Hz for three passes per treatment session. Measurements of skin roughness, skin roughness area, and maximum skin depth were collected using a 3D imaging system. Improvement in skin parameters was calculated by comparing the measurements prior to treatment and 12 weeks after completion.

RESULTS

All 15 patients showed significant improvement in all three measured parameters (<0.001) with no significant side effects.

LIMITATIONS

The limitations of this study include the small number of patients and the narrow range of skin tone (Fitzpatrick Skin Types II-IV).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that monthly treatments with a non-ablative 1540-nm fractional Erbium:glass laser appear to be safe and effective for skin texture and roughness.