Non-Ablative Fractional 1940-nm Diode Laser for Skin Resurfacing and Treatment of Benign Pigmented Lesions

Background: The non-ablative 1940-nm laser induces controlled thermal damage at superficial depths without ablating the epidermis. Objective: We evaluated a new 1940-nm fractional diode laser for improving pigmentation and skin texture. Materials and Methods: Participants with mild to severe benign pigmented lesions received up to three laser treatments. Blinded evaluation of randomized pretreatment versus 1-month posttreatment photos was conducted by three independent dermatologists to identify the correct posttreatment image and assess pigmentation on a 5-point scale (0 = 0% improvement, 4 = 75%-100% improvement) and skin texture improvement. Results: Fifty-four subjects (50 females; Fitzpatrick skin types I-IV) with pigmented lesions on the face or body underwent a total of 172 treatments. Blinded evaluation of 45 photography sets resulted in a 91% success rate of correct identification of posttreatment photos with a mean pigmentation improvement score of 2.0 (p < 0.05) and improvement in skin texture for 62% of treated areas. Mild to moderate edema (70%) and erythema (88%) were observed immediately posttreatment. Trace melasma recurrence in three subjects and one case of mild rash resolved during the study. Conclusion: Non-ablative fractional 1940-nm diode laser skin resurfacing is safe and effective at improving overall skin quality and treating pigmentation after 2-3 treatments. Long-term follow-up of clinical outcome is warranted.