Keloids often recur after treatment, and recent studies in keloid management favor the combination therapy with laser-assisted drug delivery over monotherapy. However, long-term follow-up data is lacking.

The purpose of a new study published in Dermatologic Therapy was to compare the long-term efficacies of laser-assisted drug delivery and monotherapy.

This prospective study enrolled 41 individuals with refractory keloids, who underwent eight treatment sessions at four weeks intervals consisting of ultrapulse fractional carbon dioxide laser (UFCL), followed by postoperative application of topical triamcinolone acetonide (40 mg/mL). Four follow-up time-periods were chosen, with follow-up of 24 months. The effects of combination therapy on scar pliability, thickness, relief, vascularization, surface area, pain and itchiness were examined by means of the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS).

Overall, 38 patients completed the 24 months’ follow-up after the whole treatment. The results revealed fast and abiding improvement of keloid scars after the combination therapy. The mean keloid POSAS scores showed a decreasing trend in subsequent times. Moreover, all POSAS components improved significantly between baseline and 24 months after start of therapy.

Hence, the long-term follow-up results demonstrated that combination keloid therapy using UFCL and tropical triamcinolone has overall significant improvement and low recurrence rate with long-term stable results.

Source: Dermatologic Therapy. 2020 Oct 1. doi: 10.1111/dth.14359.