Long pulsed Nd:YAG laser: Does it give clinical benefit on the treatment of resistant telangiectasias

A small group of men and women with telangiectasia on the nose were treated with long-pulsed ND:YAG 1064 and surface air cooling. An evaluation by an independent dermatologist revealed a reduction in visible vessels for all subjects and other overall improvements.

PubMed Reference:Lee JH, et al. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2012 Oct;26:1280-4.

Study Details:

  • 12 subjects (7 females, 5 males) with mean age 43±5.8 years with telangiectasia on alae nasae and tip resistant to pulsed dye laser and/or IPL treatments (4-12 times)
  • 1 treatment with long-pulsed Nd:YAG 1064 and surface air cooling (SoftCool™):
    • Vessel diameter of 0.1 mm: 1.5 mm spot size, fluence 199.6-216.7 J/cm2, pulse width of 8 ms
    • Larger diameter of 0.2-0.3 mm: 1.5 mm spot size, fluence 237.1-216.7 J/cm2, pulse width of 8 ms
  • Blinded clinical and photographic evaluation by 1 independent dermatologist, based on mean result for % clearance of visible vessels and % clearance of diffuse erythema

Study Results:

  • 100% of subjects showed a reduction in visible vessels: 83.4% had >50% clearance, 66.7% had > 75% clearance
  • 90.4% of subjects showed a reduction in diffuse erythema
  • Average cosmetic clearance was 62.7%±23%
  • Edema developed 1-2 days after treatment and lasted up to 5 days
  • No purpura, hypertrophic or atrophic scars, or pigmentary disturbances