A Study of the Therapeutic Effect of Rosacea by the Flashlamp - Pumped Pulsed Dye Laser ( SPTL - 1 )

Nam, Jong Taik; Kim, Ki Ho; Joh, Gwang Yeol

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Persistent facial elangiectssia, erythema, and flushing are the major cosmetic problems in patients with rosacea, However various therapeutic modalities for roacea papules and pustules, including topical antibiotics, systemic antibiotics, isotretinoin, and systernic and topical metronidazole, are not effective in reducing telangiectasia and flushing reactions present inrosacea patients. The flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser has been deacribed as a succqssful treatment for port wine stains with telangiectasia as part of their abnomalities. A clinical study was therefore undertaken in a group of rosacea patients, who recieves this laser to areas of facial taieous lesions.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of the flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser(SPTL-1) for osacea, especially telangiectasia and flusing reactions.
METHODS
Forty-eight. patient with rosacea were studied to evaluatic the therapeutic effects of the SPTL-1 flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser (Candela corp.Wayland Mass.) at the Department of Dermatology in Dong-A University Hospital for 20 months from Januarg 1991 to August 1992.
RESULTS
1. Total therapeutic effects of this SPTL-1 laser showed excellent re:ults in 22.9%, good in 62.5%, fair in 8.3%, and poor in 6.3%. 2. Therapeutic effects of rosacea-associated lesions showed exeellerit or good results in 85.4% of patient,s with erythema and telangiectasia, 84% patients with papules, 100% patients with pustules, and 93.7% of patients with facial flushing. 3. Complications included trarsient hyperpigmentation (14.6%), section lary bacterial infection(6.3%), hypopigmentation(2.1%), and atropic scar(2.1%). 4. The recurrence rat.e was 2,9,%.
CONCLUSION
The flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser (SPTL-1) is a dry effective mode of treatment for rosacea, including persistent telangiectasia and facial flushing ri.actions which were intractable to previous other therapeutic modalities.