Hong Kong — Fractional ablative carbon dioxide laser resurfacing is minimally to moderately effective in rejuvenating the skin of Asian patients, but causes a higher rate of postinflammatory hyperpigmentation than nonablative fractional resurfacing, HealthDay News reports.
A University of Hong Kong research team gave a full-face treatment with a 10,600 nm fractional CO2 laser to nine Chinese patients with facial acne scars or photoaging. Researchers assessed skin texture, laxity, wrinkles, pore size, pigmentation and adverse effects up to six months post-treatment.
Results were mild to moderate improvement in skin texture, skin laxity, wrinkles, enlarged pores and acne scars. Eighty-six percent of patients said they were satisfied or very satisfied overall with the ablative fractional resurfacing treatment, according to the report in the November issue of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.
“Ablative fractional CO2 laser resurfacing was overall safe and effective for skin rejuvenation and acne scars in Asians,” the authors wrote. “However, in view of the high postinflammatory rate and the statistically significant but only mild-to-moderate improvement after a single treatment as observed in this study, there is a need to review the current role of fractional ablative CO2 laser treatment as compared to fractional nonablative for skin rejuvenation and acne scar treatment in Asians.”
One study author was a stockholder of Solta Medical, manufacturer of the equipment used in the study.
