Traditional attempts at alleviating photoaging-associated facial pigmentation conditions such as melasma, mottled hyperpigmentation and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation have yielded disfiguring cosmetic results.

A new study published in the Lasers in Medical Science evaluated the efficacy and safety of picosecond 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser application for photoaging-associated facial pigmentation treatment.

This study included 47 Korean subjects with photoaging-associated facial pigmentation who underwent picosecond 1064-nm laser application; follow-up period was 12 weeks.

The results showed that average decrease in the pigmentation area and severity index (PSI) value at 12 weeks after treatment was 6.85 ± 6.35 points. The average decreases in the values of the erythema and melanin indices were 19.41 ± 64.64 points and 28.88 ± 32.89 points, respectively. Additionally, an analysis of a 32 subjects reports suggested good or excellent improvement. No serious adverse effects were observed during treatment or the follow-up period.

Thus, it was inferred that picosecond 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser application is safe and effective in improving various photoaging-associated facial pigmentation conditions.

Source: Lasers in Medical Science. 2020 Apr 17. doi: 10.1007/s10103-020-03008-z.