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A large percentage of patients with cutaneous vessels on the face and legs experience noticeable reductions in the severity of veins after treatment with long‐pulsed Nd:YAG lasers, a study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology reports.
The retrospective study cohort included patients from a single center who had cutaneous vessels on the face and legs (n=145). Treatment was administered in 2 sessions, each with long‐pulsed 1064‐nm Nd:YAG lasers (Cutera) with 3- to 7-mm spot size, 60 to 300 J/cm2, and 10 to 25 msn pulse durations. Sessions were divided by 4-week intervals.
Treatment efficiency was assessed by comparing gross photographs and by clinical evaluation. The researchers also assessed the grade of improvement, defined as the percent reduction in posttreatment vein severity (<25% improvement [mild]; 25%-50% improvement [moderate]; 51%-75% improvement [good]; >75% improvement [excellent]). Examinations were conducted at the beginning of treatment as well as at the second week, third week, and fourth week of treatment.
The percentage of patients who had vessels on the face and on the legs were 63.6% and 36.4%, respectively. Approximately 82.8% of the patients had good improvement in vein severity after the first session. In addition, 78.6% of patients had excellent improvement after the second session with the long‐pulsed Nd:YAG lasers. Clinical improvement was significantly higher after the second treatment compared with the first treatment (P ˂.05). No difference was found between the face and legs in terms of treatment efficiency (P >.05). The majority of patients (81.3%) reported satisfaction with treatment at the end of 8 weeks. Erythema was the most common side effect, observed in 12.4% of patients.
Limitations of the study include the small sample size, retrospective nature, and the use of patient data from a single center.
The researchers concluded that “long-pulsed Nd:YAG lasers with appropriate energy parameters were reported to be effective in the treatment of various sizes of vessels on the regions of the face and legs.”
Reference
Asiran Serdar Z, Fisek Izci N. The evaluation of long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser efficacy and side effects in the treatment of cutaneous vessels on the face and legs [published online November 15, 2019]. J Cosmet Dermatol. doi:10.1111/jocd.13208
