A fractional 2940 nm short-pulsed, erbium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser is effective and minimally invasive for the treatment of photodamaged skin in Asians

Abstract

Background: Although ablative fractional laser for the facial photodamaged skin was effective and safe, there have been only limited reports regarding the efficacy and safety of fractional Er:YAG laser treatments for photodamaged facial skin in Asians. Objective: Our objective was to assess the efficacy and safety of the Er: YAG laser (2940 nm) using the "ablative" fractional resurfacing mode to treat photodamaged facial skin. Methods: A total of 29 Korean patients were treated for photodamaged facial skin using a fractional Er: YAG laser. The number of treatments was mean 2.3 sessions at two-week intervals. Independent investigators assessed the efficacy using standardized photographs. The patients' satisfaction rate was also evaluated. Results: For dyspigmentation, 62.5% of the treated patients showed improvement greater than 26%. Regarding wrinkles, 50% of the treated patients showed improvement greater than 26%. All patients showed various degrees of improvement in skin laxity. Assessing the overall features, 62.5% of the study subjects showed improvement greater than 26%, and most of them (91.7%) reported that their subjective satisfaction rate was above 'slight satisfaction'. Downtime accounted for approximately one week in most patients. Conclusions: A fractional Er: YAG laser can deliver an effective and minimally invasive treatment for photodamaged facial skin in Asians.