Treatment of erythematous acne scars using 595-nm pulsed dye laser combined with 1565-nm ResurFX nonablative fractional laser.

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris is a common inflammatory disease associated with various sequelae after skin lesion remission. Acne erythema has been considered simple erythema or a vascular lesion; however, because the understanding of this disease has improved, acne erythema is currently considered an early scar with erythematous components. AIMS: This study evaluated the efficacy of using both a 595-nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) and 1565-nm nonablative fractional laser (NAFL) for the treatment of erythematous scars caused by acne. METHODS: Ninety patients with acne scars were equally randomized to two groups. Group A (n = 45) received treatment with the NAFL. Group B (n = 45) received treatment with the PDL and NAFL. Each patient underwent one treatment session and 4 weeks of follow-up. RESULTS: Qualitative (χ2 = 12.415; p < 0.05) and quantitative (t = 2.675; p < 0.05) scores of Groups A and B were determined using a global scarring grading system and exhibited statistically significant differences. The quantitative score of Group A was higher than that of Group B (6.67 ± 3.46 vs. 4.98 ± 2.44). The erythema areas of the groups differed significantly after treatment, with Group B exhibiting more notable score improvements (5.00 [3.10, 7.10] vs. 2.80 [1.65, 4.60]; Z = 3.072; p < 0.05). The erythema regression rate of Group B (88.9%) was significantly higher than that of Group A (66.7%) (χ2 = 20.295; p < 0.001). Adverse events, including redness and swelling (86.6%), scabbing (78.8%), and purpura (36.6%), occurred within 7 days for 86.6% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The combined use of the PDL and NAFL is safe and effective for erythematous acne scars.

Retinal Branch Artery Embolization Following Hyaluronic Acid Injection: A Case Report.

Injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) filler is a common aesthetic procedure. Impairment of vision, although rare, is a devastating complication of this procedure, which may not be reversible. We report on a patient who experienced visual acuity impairment and ischemic oculomotor nerve palsy after injection of HA into the nasal dorsum. In this case, clinical signs improved within 14 days of treatment. We also provide a review of the mechanism, clinical features, risk factors, and prevention and treatment strategies relating to embolization of ocular circulation after injection of HA. Vision loss is a rare but devastating complication of injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) in the face. Visual acuity seldom recovers completely. We report on a 22-year-old Asian woman who experienced obstruction of a branch of the retinal artery after injection of HA to augment her nose. The patient's visual acuity declined shortly after the procedure, and ophthalmoplegia occurred. Combination treatment was administered to restore the perfusion and oxygen supply to the retina and optic nerve. Within 14 days of rigorous treatment, the patient experienced improvement in visual acuity, extraocular movement, and visual field defects. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 5: Risk.

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of fractional bipolar radiofrequency with high-energy strategy for treatment of acne scars in Chinese.

BACKGROUND: Fractional technology overcomes several problems of ablative lasers such as a high incidence rate of post- inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). A new technology fractional radiofrequency, which induces deep dermal heating and leaves the epidermal less affected results in less adverse effect in Chinese. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerance of fractional bipolar radiofrequency (RF) in the treatment of acne scars in Asian people with the strategy of high energy. METHODS: Twenty-six healthy Asian patients with acne scars received four monthly high energy (85-95mj/pin) treatments with a fractional bipolar RF device. Improvement and tolerance were evaluated at each treatment and a 4-week and 12-week follow-up visit. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients completed the study. Acne score showed a significantly decrease at 4-week and 12-week follow-up visits. Patients' evaluation of global improvement and satisfaction increased at the 12-week visit compared with baseline. Side effects were limited to transient pain, erythema, dryness and low risk of PIH. CONCLUSION: Treatment with high energy of fractional bipolar RF is safe and effective for acne scars in Asian people. Common side effects such as PIH, eschars are less than fractional lasers.

[Correlation between atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure and urinary hydroxyl metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in elderly population in Tianjin, China].

OBJECTIVE: To identify suitable hydroxyl polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs) for co-evaluation of internal exposure level of PAHs by simultaneous determination of a variety of OH-PAHs in urine. METHODS: The 24-h individual particulate matter and morning urine samples of 112 subjects were collected during June 2011. PAHs carried by individual particulate matter samples and OH-PAHs in urine samples were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Seven OH-PAHs were detected in urine samples, among which 1-hydroxy-naphthalene (1-OHNap) concentration was the highest [(20.54 ± 28.94) µmol/mol Cr], while 1-hydroxy-pyrene (1-OHP) concentration was the lowest [(0.73 ± 0.63) µmol/mol Cr]. The concentrations of these seven OH-PAHs decreased in the following order: 1-hydroxy-naphthalene (1-OHNap) > 9-hydroxy-fluorene (9-OHFlu) > 2-hydroxy-naphthalene (2-OHNap) > 3-hydroxy-fluorene (3-OHFlu) > 2-hydroxy-fluorene (2-OHFlu) > 6-hydroxy-chrysene (6-OHChr) > 1-hydroxy-pyrene (1-OHP). The effects of gender and smoking upon the contents of OH-PAHs in urine samples were not significant. There was a good correlation between total hydroxy-naphthalene (ΣOHNap) and 1-OHNap (r = 0.948), and a good correlation was also showed between total hydroxy-fluorene (ΣOHFlu) and 9-OHFlu (r = 0.975). Naphthalene carried by atmospheric particulate matters demonstrated better correlation with 1-OHNap than 2-OHNap, while fluorene carried by atmospheric particulate matters showed better correlation with 9-OHFlu than 3-OHFlu and 2-OHFlu. The correlation coefficients of ΣOHNap, ΣOHFlu and 6-OHChr with 1-OHP were 0.427, 0.543 and 0.655, respectively, and the correlations were not strong. CONCLUSION: It cannot reflect internal exposure level of PAHs to use 1-OHP as the only biomarker, while 1-OHNap and 9-OHFlu can be well predictive of the exposure levels of corresponding total OH-PAHs, suggesting that simultaneous determination of 1-OHNap, 9-OHFlu and 1-OHP can be more accurate and comprehensive in evaluating the internal exposure level of PAHs.

Intralesional pingyangmycin treatment for resistant plantar warts.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of viral warts is often straightforward, but their treatment is difficult and always takes a long time. Nowadays warts are usually treated with conventional methods including topical keratolytic agents, cryotherapy, electrosurgery and laser surgery. However, such treatments cause different complications, and the warts become recalcitrant. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of intralesional pingyangmycin injection for resistant plantar warts. METHODS: From June 2006 to September 2008, we treated 66 patients with plantar warts by intralesional pingyangmycin injection after informed consent. RESULTS: The lesions of 58 patients cleared (87.88%) after up to 4 treatments. The remaining 8 patients (12.12%) achieved partial clearance. No serious side effects were observed. CONCLUSION: Intralesional injection of pingyangmycin might be an effective, safe and generally well-tolerated treatment for plantar warts.