Improvement of facial acne scars by the 585 nm flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser

Background: Hypertrophic or erythematous scars (or both) have remained notoriously difficult to treat because of their persistence or recurrence after traditional therapies. Recently, the 585 nm flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser has been shown to be effective in treating similar traumatic and surgical scars. Objective: Our purpose was to determine the effectiveness of the 585 nm flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser in the specific treatment of facial acne scars. Methods: Twenty-two patients with erythematous or hypertrophic facial acne scars were included in this Investigational Review Board-approved study. The 585 nm flashlamp-pumped pulsed-dye laser was used to treat scars on half of each patient's face, with the contralateral side used as control. Baseline, 6-week, and 6-month posttreatment photographs, erythema measurements made with reflectance spectrometry, and skin texture analyses were obtained from laser-irradiated and untreated scars. Clinical analyses were performed independently by two ''blinded'' observers. Results: Significant clinical improvement was observed in laser-irradiated acne scars compared with the untreated (control) scars after one or two 585 nm pulsed-dye laser treatments. Erythema measurements and skin texture analyses of laser-treated scars approximated those obtained in the adjacent normal skin. Conclusion: The 585 nm flashlamp-pumped pulsed-dye laser can significantly improve the clinical appearance of erythematous or hypertrophic facial acne scars.