Pro-Yellow Laser an Option for Post-Acne Erythema

Pro-yellow laser is a highly effective treatment for post-acne erythema, but the efficacy of this approach for the treatment of atrophic acne scars appears to be only mild to moderate at best, according to study findings published in Dermatologic Therapy.

A total of 40 patients with post-acne erythema (mean age, 29.5±8.16 years) were recruited into this study from a single dermatology clinic. Patients who had recently used systemic isotretinoin were also included in the study, but pro-yellow laser treatment was only used immediately after stopping isotretinoin.

After application of topical anesthetic cream to lesions, the investigators applied the 577 nm pro-yellow laser as a single session with irradiation of 22 j/cm². The researchers then assessed the improvement in post-acne erythema and scars after treatment.

Post-acne erythema accompanied by scarring was significantly higher in women compared with men (79.2% vs 43.8%; P =.021).

Approximately 52.5% (n=21) of patients had good improvement in their erythema rates, and 25% (n=10) experienced excellent improvement and 22.5% (n=9) of patients had moderate improvement. No statistically significant difference was observed between men and women in regard to the improvement in post-acne erythema (P =.52). In addition, 76.9% (n=20) had mild improvement in acne scars, whereas 23.1% (n=6) of patients had moderate improvement.

Limitations of this study included its retrospective design, lack of a control group, and its recruitment of patients from a single center.

The pro-yellow laser provided good to excellent results for the treatment of post-acne erythema, the study authors concluded, while also providing mild to moderate improvement in atrophic acne scars.

Reference

Sarac G, Kapicioglu Y, Cenk H. An evaluation of the efficacy of a single-session 577 nm pro-yellow laser treatment in patients with postacne erythema and scarring. Published online December 1, 2020. Dermatol Ther. doi:10.1111/dth.14611