Microneedling as an adjuvant to topical therapies for melasma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Microneedling as an adjuvant to topical medications has shown promising but variable results in the treatment of melasma. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of microneedling as an adjuvant to topical therapies for the treatment of melasma. METHODS: This study followed PRISMA guidelines. All comparative, prospective studies on the use of topical interventions with microneedling for the treatment of melasma were included. Studies involving radiofrequency microneedling were excluded. RESULTS: Twelve eligible studies comprising 459 patients from 7 different countries were included. Topical therapies included topical tranexamic acid, vitamin C, platelet-rich plasma, non-hydroquinone-based depigmentation serums, and hydroquinone-based depigmenting agents. Topical therapy with microneedling improved melasma severity with a large effect (standardized mean difference >0.8) beyond 8 weeks, with best results seen at 12 weeks. Compared to topical therapy alone, topical therapy with microneedling resulted in an additional improvement in melasma severity with a moderate effect at 8 weeks and a large effect at 12-16 weeks. Microneedling was well tolerated across studies, with no serious adverse events reported. LIMITATIONS: Heterogeneity in study designs did not allow for a comparison of the efficacy of various topical therapies with microneedling. CONCLUSION: Microneedling is useful adjuvant to topical therapies for the treatment of melasma.

Radiofrequency Microneedling: A Comprehensive and Critical Review.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have evaluated radiofrequency microneedling (RFMN) in various dermatologic conditions. However, the efficacy and safety of RFMN, and how it compares with other energy-based devices in a clinician's armamentarium, remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To review higher-quality evidence supporting RFMN and the dermatologic conditions which it can be used in. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search was conducted in MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to May 13, 2020, using the terms: "radiofrequency microneedling" OR "fractional radiofrequency" OR "radiofrequency needling" OR "radiofrequency percutaneous collagen induction." Only randomized, split body or blinded studies with original data on humans were included. Non-English or non-dermatology-related studies were excluded. RESULTS: Forty-two higher-quality studies were included after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. There were 14 studies for skin rejuvenation, 7 for acne scars, 6 for acne vulgaris, 5 each for striae and axillary hyperhidrosis, 2 for melasma, and 1 each for rosacea, cellulite, and androgenetic alopecia. CONCLUSION: Radiofrequency microneedling is an effective intervention that can be used repeatedly and safely in combination with other treatment modalities and in individuals with darker skin phototypes. Radiofrequency microneedling-induced dermal remodeling and neocollagenesis are slow and progressive but continue to improve even 6 months after treatment.

Oxymetazoline and Energy-Based Therapy in Patients with Rosacea: Evaluation of the Safety and Tolerability in an Open-Label, Interventional Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of oxymetazoline hydrochloride cream, 1% (oxymetazoline) when used as an adjunctive treatment with energy-based therapy for patients with moderate to severe facial erythema associated with rosacea. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this Phase 4, multicenter, interventional, open-label study, eligible patients received one of four energy-based therapies (potassium titanyl phosphate laser, intense pulsed light therapy, pulsed-dye laser Vbeam Perfecta, or pulsed-dye laser Cynergy) on day 1 and day 29 and once-daily application of oxymetazoline on days 3 through 27 and days 31 through 56. Improvement from baseline in Clinician Erythema Assessment (CEA) score, patient satisfaction measures, incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), and worsening from baseline on dermal tolerability assessments and the Clinician Telangiectasia Assessment (CTA) were assessed. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 46 patients (mean age, 51.1 years; 78.3% female) enrolled in this study. Similar numbers of patients received each of the energy-based therapies in addition to oxymetazoline. All patients demonstrated an improvement from baseline in CEA during the study with 39 of 43 evaluable patients (90.7%) demonstrating an improvement 6 hours posttreatment on day 56. Most patients were satisfied or very satisfied with treatment at the end of the study. All TEAEs were mild or moderate in severity. Some patients experienced worsening in dermal tolerability assessment symptoms (range: 4-21 patients; 8.7-45.7%). Worsening in CEA and CTA were each reported by three patients (6.5%) at any time during the study. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with oxymetazoline as adjunctive therapy with energy-based therapy was safe, well tolerated, and reduced facial erythema in patients with moderate to severe persistent facial erythema associated with rosacea. Lasers Surg. Med. © 2020 The Authors. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Cutaneous Photoaging: A Notable Pattern of Distribution of Lentigines on the Face.

Importance: Facial lentigines are a common patient complaint encountered in general and cosmetic dermatology practices. Lentigines are a marker of photoaging and understanding their distribution will provide insight into the aging process in order to better counsel patients. Objectives: To compare the relative distribution of lentigines in facial cosmetic subunits. Methods: We reviewed clinical photographs of patients receiving Alexandrite laser treatment for facial lentigines during the time period 11/1/2017-12/1/2018. Individual lentigines were plotted for each patient into one of 21 aesthetic units. A "heat map" was created to compare the relative density of these lesions. Results: Grouped peripheral cosmetic subunits contained more lentigines compared to grouped central cosmetic units. The mean number of lentigines in the central units was 0.60 and in the peripheral units was 0.85. This finding was statistically significant with a p value of 0.0001. J Drugs Dermatol. 2020;19(7): doi:10.36849/JDD.2020.5193.

Quantification of noninvasive fat reduction: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Noninvasive fat reduction appears effective, but there are various methods for quantifying changes. The objective of this review is to assess comparative utility measures of subcutaneous fat. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Articles describing noninvasive fat reduction were searched using MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and Scopus electronic databases on two dates (January 28, 2014 and February 16, 2016). Titles of studies and abstracts were screened for eligibility. Manual review was performed by two investigators to detect those that: (1) included original data; (2) were randomized controlled trials, or prospective or retrospective cohort studies; (3) quantified fat outcomes; and (4) enrolled at least 10 subjects. RESULTS: Of 1,057 retrieved articles, 36 met criteria. Most reported four or more measurement techniques. Circumference measurements were most commonly cited. Other objective techniques, like caliper thickness, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and three-dimensional (3D) photography, were also used. Common subjective methods were evaluation of standardized photographs by blinded raters and patient satisfaction surveys. CONCLUSIONS: For quantifying noninvasive fat reduction, all available methods had significant limitations: photographic comparisons were subjective; circumference or caliper measurements were confounded; ultrasound was operator dependent; MRI was expensive; computed models and simulations were in early development. As new technologies are developed, the need for reliable, accurate and practical measures of subcutaneous fat will increase. Lasers Surg. Med. 50:96-110, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Laser advances in the treatment of burn and traumatic scars.

The realm of scar management is constantly changing. Many factors need to be considered when developing a comprehensive treatment plan, including the nature of the scar and the patient. Scar characteristics can be divided by color, scar type and thickness, and body location. Topical and intralesional agents and light- and laserbased treatments can be used to revitalize and restore damaged skin in atrophic and hypertrophic scars. The most commonly used lasers are the pulsed-dye laser (PDL) and fractional lasers. Ideally, a combination approach using topical and intralesional medications along with pulsed-dye laser and a fractional laser should be considered in all patients wishing to undergo treatment of their hypertrophic and atrophic scars. Keloidal scars tend to be resistant to standard therapy so other modalities should be considered.

Laser Safety in Isotretinoin Use: A Survey of Expert Opinion and Practice.

BACKGROUND: Reports of poor wound healing in the setting of isotretinoin treatment have created a conservative standard of care in which laser and phototherapy treatment of patients receiving isotretinoin is relatively contraindicated. OBJECTIVE: A survey of 220 nationally recognized experts in cutaneous laser surgery was conducted to evaluate physician experience and opinion pertaining to laser and light procedures in patients treated with isotretinoin, including perceived risk and actual complications. RESULTS: There was a 42% response rate. Seventy-six percent of respondents have never seen in their own clinical practices any cases of complications arising in patients treated with laser while receiving isotretinoin or within 6 months of completing a course of therapy. Almost half of respondents have treated patients in this subpopulation with laser, although only a small minority have done so with ablative devices. Common concerns among respondents regarding isotretinoin patients are the risks of poor wound healing and scarring, but the most often reported concern is medicolegal risk (74%). CONCLUSION: It would seem that the risk of performing laser procedures on patients receiving isotretinoin or having recently completed a course, as estimated and observed by cutaneous laser experts, is lower than the currently perceived risk among the general medical community.

Treatment of purpura with lasers and light sources.

The potential for bruising is a frequent concern for patients undergoing minimally invasive procedures, particularly injection-based soft tissue fillers and botulinum toxin type A. Decreasing the risk of this side effect with good technique and careful patient selection is key, but interventions that quicken the resolution of bruising are also helpful. Many practitioners have employed the theory of selective photothermolysis, using laser and light devices, to target hemoglobin and its breakdown products to speed time to bruise resolution. 585-595 nm pulsed dye, pulsed 532 nm and 1064 nm long-pulsed neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) lasers and intense pulsed light may be utilized with best results achieved when treatment is performed 1-2 days after the appearance of purpura. Specific therapy recommendations, side effects and contraindications will be addressed in this review.

Combined treatment for facial rejuvenation using an optimized pulsed light source followed by a fractional non-ablative laser.

BACKGROUND: Combination laser treatments can potentially increase the effectiveness of treatment without the additional downtime associated with another procedure. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness and safety of combining non-ablative fractional treatments with optimized intense pulsed light. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Ten subjects (Group A) received full face treatments with a non-ablative fractional either followed or preceded by an optimized intense pulsed light source. Twenty-six subjects (Group B) received only full face treatments with the same non-ablative, fractional laser device. RESULTS: For Group A, the overall average Fitzpatrick Wrinkle Scale for all patients improved from 6.3 ± 1.1 at baseline to 5.9 ± 0.8 one month following one treatment for an average improvement of 0.4 ± 0.6 (P < 0.10 paired t-test n = 9). The average pigment improvement score was 1.8 ± 0.9 on a 4-point scale. In Group B, the average Fitzpatrick Wrinkle Scale improved from 6.0 ± 1.6 at baseline to 5.2 ± 1.4 at 3 months for an average improvement of 0.8 ± 0.7 (P < 0.001, n = 26 paired t-test). The average pigment improvement score was 1.4 ± 1.0 (P < 0.001, t-test, n = 26). Adverse events were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSION: The combination of an optimized intense pulsed light source with a non-ablative fractional laser during the same treatment session is safe and effective.

The spectrum of laser skin resurfacing: nonablative, fractional, and ablative laser resurfacing.

UNLABELLED: The drive to attain cosmetic facial enhancement with minimal risk and rapid recovery has inspired the field of nonsurgical skin rejuvenation. Laser resurfacing was introduced in the 1980s with continuous wave carbon dioxide (CO(2)) lasers; however, because of a high rate of side effects, including scarring, short-pulse, high-peak power, and rapidly scanned, focused-beam CO(2) lasers and normal-mode erbium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet lasers were developed, which remove skin in a precisely controlled manner. The prolonged 2-week recovery time and small but significant complication risk prompted the development of non-ablative and, more recently, fractional resurfacing in order to minimize risk and shorten recovery times. Nonablative resurfacing produces dermal thermal injury to improve rhytides and photodamage while preserving the epidermis. Fractional resurfacing thermally ablates microscopic columns of epidermal and dermal tissue in regularly spaced arrays over a fraction of the skin surface. This intermediate approach increases efficacy as compared to nonablative resurfacing, but with faster recovery as compared to ablative resurfacing. Neither nonablative nor fractional resurfacing produces results comparable to ablative laser skin resurfacing, but both have become much more popular than the latter because the risks of treatment are limited in the face of acceptable improvement. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: At the completion of this learning activity, participants should be familiar with the spectrum of lasers and light technologies available for skin resurfacing, published studies of safety and efficacy, indications, methodologies, side effects, complications, and management.

Nonablative tissue remodeling and photorejuvenation.

Nonablative facial resurfacing is a noninvasive approach to tissue remodeling and skin rejuvenation. These procedures are considered an alternative to the more traditional laser resurfacing with less dramatic effects, but also with significantly less downtime. Results vary based on the lasers and light sources used. In general, the infrared lasers improve texture, visible light lasers somewhat improve texture but greatly reduce redness and telangiectasias, and intense pulsed light devices improve both red targets and brown discoloration, as well as skin texture. Lastly, low-energy devices may improve redness and texture modestly. Patient selection, as well as device selection, is based on the outcome desired. Side effects are uncommon and preventable.

A split-face comparison study of pulsed 532-nm KTP laser and 595-nm pulsed dye laser in the treatment of facial telangiectasias and diffuse telangiectatic facial erythema.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pulsed 595 nm and 532 nm lasers can effectively diminish or eliminate facial telangiectasia. We performed a split-face, single-blind, controlled, comparison study in an effort to determine their individual and comparative efficacy. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients were treated using a 595-nm PDL on one side of the face and a pulsed 532-nm potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) laser on the other. Each subject was evaluated at 3 weeks after three treatments. RESULTS: Both devices improved telangiectasia. The 532-nm device, however, was at least as effective or more effective than the 595-nm laser in all subjects. On average, the KTP laser achieved 62% clearing after the first treatment and 85% clearing 3 weeks after the third treatment, compared to 49% and 75% for the PDL, respectively. Seventy-nine percent of KTP laser-treated patients continued to have swelling for greater than 1 day versus 71% of PDL-treated patients. Of those patients who noted persistent erythema for at least 1 day after treatment, 58% noted more erythema on the KTP laser-treated side compared to 8% on the PDL-treated side. CONCLUSIONS: Both the 595-nm and the 532-nm pulsed lasers are highly effective in the treatment of facial telangiectasia and redness. The 532-nm KTP laser appears to be more effective but causes more swelling and erythema.

Comparison of stacked pulses versus double-pass treatments of facial acne with a 1,450-nm laser.

BACKGROUND: Although effective as a monotherapy for the treatment of inflammatory acne, the 1,450-nm diode laser is associated with considerable pain at higher fluences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eleven subjects were treated with a 1,450-nm diode laser in a split-face bilateral paired acne study. One-half of the face received a single-pass consisting of stacked double pulses. The other side received a double-pass treatment of single pulses. Settings were 11 J/cm(2) or lower as tolerated with appropriate dynamic cooling device (range 25-35). RESULTS: The mean pain rating was 5.33 on a 0 to 10 scale on the stacked-pulse treatment side and 5.12 on the double-pass side. Blinded reduction in mean acne lesion counts were 57.6% and 49.8% reduction, respectively. An overall acne scar improvement was seen in 83% of subjects with acne scarring. Transient hyperpigmentation occurred in two patients on the stacked pulse side and completely resolved without sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: The pulsed 1,450-nm diode laser can be used at lower fluences that elicit less discomfort yet effectively improve inflammatory acne. Stacking pulses appears to render a slightly higher efficacy than the multipass technique. Single-pulse, multiple-pass treatments may have a lower risk of cryogen-induced transient hyperpigmentation compared to standard high fluence techniques.

Evaluation of plasma skin regeneration technology in low-energy full-facial rejuvenation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of multiple, low-energy, full-face plasma skin regeneration treatments. DESIGN: Plasma skin regeneration delivers energy to the skin through plasma pulses induced by passing radiofrequency into nitrogen gas. Single-treatment, high-energy, 1-pass treatments have been demonstrated to achieve good results with an excellent safety profile. Eight volunteers underwent full-face treatments every 3 weeks, for a total of 3 treatments, using energy settings of 1.2 to 1.8 J. Before each subsequent treatment, the quality of regenerated epidermis, the degree of downtime, and erythema were recorded. Full-thickness skin biopsy specimens were obtained from 6 patients before treatment and 90 days following the last treatment. Patients were seen for follow-up 4 days after each treatment and 30 and 90 days after the third treatment. RESULTS: Three months after treatment, investigators found a 37% reduction in facial rhytids and study participants noted a 68% improvement in overall facial appearance. Reepithelialization was complete in 4 days. Patients assessed erythema to persist an average of 6 days after treatment. Epidermal regeneration from the first treatment was longer than from the following treatments (9 vs 4 and 5 days, respectively). One patient developed localized hyperpigmentation after the first treatment, which resolved by follow-up at day 30. No scarring or hypopigmentation occurred. A histologic evaluation 3 months after treatment revealed a band of new collagen at the dermoepidermal junction with less dense elastin in the upper dermis. The mean depth of new collagen was 72.3 mum. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma skin regeneration using the multiple low-energy treatment technique allows significant successful treatment of photodamaged facial skin with minimal downtime. Results are comparable to a single high-energy treatment, but with less healing time.