Efficacy and safety of fractional laser combined with smooth mode laser for treatment of facial photoaging

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of fractional laser combined with smooth mode laser for the treatment of facial photoaging. Methods Thirty subjects with facial photoaging treated in Department of Plastic Surgery of China-Japan Friendship Hospital were enrolled. All subjects received treatment with fractional Nd: YAG laser combined with smooth mode Er: YAG laser,once every 4 weeks for 3 sessions. Subjects were followed up before the first treatment(V1), 4 weeks after the second treatment (V2), 4 weeks after the third treatment(V3)and 12 weeks after the third treatment(V4).During each follow-up,Global Scores for Photoaging (GSP) were used to evaluate the photoaging degree on the whole face, Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale(GAIS) were applied to evaluate the improvement degree of facial photoaging, and the Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)was adopted to assess pain induced by treatment.After the last treatment,self-assessment on the degree of satisfaction with therapeutic effects was conducted. Results All 30 subjects completed the treatments and follow-up. GSP decreased with the increase of visiting time after treatment (r=-0.736,P<0.01). GAIS increased with the increase of visiting time after treatment (r=0.616, P<0.01).There were significant differences in the measurements of VISIA Skin Detector at V1,V2,V3 and V4(all P<0.01). There was a positive correlation between GAIS and VISIA measurements at V2,V3 and V4; the correlation coefficients were 0.453 (P=0.012), 0.552 (P=0.002) and 0.564 (P=0.001), respectively. The average VAS score of 30 subjects after treatment was 1.2±0.1. No side effect was observed. The self-satisfaction rate was 76.7% (23/30). Conclusion Fractional Nd: YAG laser combined with smooth mode Er: YAG laser can be applied to treat facial photoaging safely and effectively. Key words: Skin aging; Laser therapy; Treatment outcome