Safe and effective acne treatment across skin types with a 1726 nm sebum-selective laser: One year data from a prospective multicenter study
David S. Goldberg, Steve Ronan, Ashish C. Bhatia, Sunil S. Dhawan, Jeremy B. Green, Suzanne L. Kilmer, W. Kwan, Linda Stein Gold, Jonathan S. Weiss, Margot Doucette, M. Karavitis, Jeffrey S. Dover
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Patients treated with a 1726-nm laser showed significant improvement in moderate-to-severe acne for ≥6 months in a prospective study. OBJECTIVE: One-year follow-up data are presented. METHODS: In this prospective institutional review board-approved study, patients underwent 3 treatments with a 1726-nm laser, 2-5 weeks apart. Inflammatory lesion counts and Investigator's Global Assessment scores were assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 1 year after treatment. Adverse events, treatment satisfaction, and self-confidence were assessed. RESULTS: Of 104 patients with Fitzpatrick skin types II-VI and moderate-to-severe acne, 89 and 71 patients, respectively, attended 12- and 52-week visits. At 12 weeks, 79.8% demonstrated ≥50% improvement in inflammatory lesion counts, which increased to 91.5% at 52 weeks. The proportion of patients with clear or almost clear Investigator's Global Assessment scores increased from 36.0% at 3 months to 66.2% at 52 weeks. Treatment was well tolerated: Mild erythema and edema occurred in 100% and 98.1% of patients, respectively. No blistering, crusting, or hypo- or hyperpigmentation were observed. Patient satisfaction and self-confidence improved at both follow-up timepoints. LIMITATIONS: No control group; reliance on image assessment; open-label design. CONCLUSION: The seboselective 1726-nm laser is an effective and well-tolerated therapy for reducing moderate-to-severe facial acne for at least 1 year.