Picosecond lasers appear to be effective and safe in treating pigmentation and photoaging disorders through laser-induced optical breakdown.

A new study published in Dermatologic Surgery aimed to analyze the feasibility of photorejuvenation using picosecond lasers with diffractive lens array (DLA) in patients with melasma.

In this one-year prospective observational cohort study, ten Asian women (median age - 46.5 years) with melasma and Fitzpatrick skin Type IV were enrolled and treated using 755-nm picosecond alexandrite lasers with DLA. All individuals were assessed before the treatment, and at 12, 20 weeks, and 1 year by post-hoc test on melasma area and severity index (MASI) and with VISIA Complexion Analysis System using percentile rank for measurement.

The results showed that the average MASI continually and significantly decreased until the one-year follow-up—with photoaging characteristics, such as wrinkles and red areas improving simultaneously. Spots, texture, pores, ultraviolet (UV) spots, brown spots and porphyrins exhibited alleviation, but this improvement relapsed by the 1-year follow-up. Besides, no postinflammatory hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation occurred.

The findings indicated that in patients with melasma, picosecond laser treatment with DLA may alleviate pigmentation disorder and the related photoaging characteristics (e.g., wrinkled skin and increased vascularity), and the effects could be maintained for a long time. Nevertheless, post-treatment clinical visits every 3 to 6 months are recommended.

Source: Dermatologic Surgery. 2020 Apr 6. doi: 10.1097/DSS.0000000000002405.