Study suggests ablative fractional laser could improve acne

DENVER — A small pilot study suggested the use of ablative fractional laser could be beneficial in the treatment of acne.

“Acne is the most common patient complaint in the dermatology office and can lead to pigmentary alterations and scarring,” Lais Lopes Almeida Gomes, MD, a dermatology research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital and pediatric dermatologist in Brazil, said during a video abstract presentation at the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Annual Meeting. “Severe nodular acne vulgaris can be physically distressing and can cause significant morbidity from concurrent scarring.”

Five patients with moderate to severe cystic acne were included in the pilot study. Each received three ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser treatments approximately 4 weeks apart.

Digital photographs, three dimensional images and lesion counts were taken at baseline and at each treatment visit, as well as 1, 3 and 6 months after the last treatment visit.

Four of the five patients had a significant decrease in total inflammatory lesions, papules and nodules, while the fifth subject had not yet finished the follow-up period. An average decrease of 35% was recorded 4 weeks after the first laser treatment. All four patients saw further improvement or remained stable 1 month after the final laser treatment, with two patients experiencing decreases of 87% and 69% 6 months after the final laser treatment.

Minor redness and crusting were reported 3 to 5 days after treatment.

“This study suggests the ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser is a promising, well-tolerated treatment for active nodular acne, although more research is needed,” Gomes said.