Cheuk Hung Lee, MBBS (HK), FHKAM (MED), FHKCP, MScPD (Cardiff), MRCP (UK), DPD (Wales), DipDerm (Glasgow)1 , Kar Wai Alvin Lee, MBChB (CUHK), DCH (Sydney), Dip Derm (Glasgow), MScClinDerm (Cardiff), MScPD (Cardiff), DipMed (CUHK), DCH (Sydney)1
, Kwin Wah Chan, MBChB (CUHK), MScPD (Cardiff), PgDipPD (Cardiff), PGDipClinDerm (Lond), DipMed (CUHK), DCH (Sydney)1
, Kar Wai Phoebe Lam, MBCHB (OTAGO), MRCS (EDIN), MSCPD (CARDIFF)2
, Tin Hau Wong, MBBS, MRCS (EDIN), MSCPD (CARDIFF)3
1Ever Keen Medical Centre, Hong Kong
2Perfect Skin Solution, Hong Kong
3Medaes Medical Centre, Hong Kong
Correspondence to :
Kar Wai Alvin Lee
E-mail: alvin429@yahoo.com
© Korean Society of Korean Cosmetic Surgery & Medicine
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Scarring can complicate acne vulgaris and lead to considerable psychosocial implications. Resurfacing and collagen regeneration treatments for acne scars include cryotherapy, chemical peeling, lasers and lights, and radiofrequency. Lasers have become popular among these options. A range of lasers with varying designs, wavelengths, and fractional technologies have become available as treatment choices for acne scars. This review compares the efficacy and adverse effects of these treatments. This is a literature review to determine whether the use of a combination of laser treatments yields superior outcomes compared to a single-device method in the management of acne scars. Our literature review revealed that patient factors, including Fitzpatrick skin phenotype and acne scar subtype, are essential determinants of outcome success in acne treatment with laser. Evidence suggests that ablative CO2 and Er:YAG lasers provide the best curative effects on acne scars in all skin types. Both non-fractional and fractional techniques can effectively treat atrophic acne scars. However, when using a pulse-dye laser to treat hypertrophic scars, the outcomes are variable. Potential complications of ablative lasers include acne flares, infections, and scarring.
Keywords: acne, CO2 laser, Er:YAG laser, laser, scarring
J Cosmet Med 2022; 6(1): 1-7
Published online June 30, 2022 https://doi.org/10.25056/JCM.2022.6.1.1
Copyright © Korean Society of Korean Cosmetic Surgery & Medicine.
Cheuk Hung Lee, MBBS (HK), FHKAM (MED), FHKCP, MScPD (Cardiff), MRCP (UK), DPD (Wales), DipDerm (Glasgow)1 , Kar Wai Alvin Lee, MBChB (CUHK), DCH (Sydney), Dip Derm (Glasgow), MScClinDerm (Cardiff), MScPD (Cardiff), DipMed (CUHK), DCH (Sydney)1
, Kwin Wah Chan, MBChB (CUHK), MScPD (Cardiff), PgDipPD (Cardiff), PGDipClinDerm (Lond), DipMed (CUHK), DCH (Sydney)1
, Kar Wai Phoebe Lam, MBCHB (OTAGO), MRCS (EDIN), MSCPD (CARDIFF)2
, Tin Hau Wong, MBBS, MRCS (EDIN), MSCPD (CARDIFF)3
1Ever Keen Medical Centre, Hong Kong
2Perfect Skin Solution, Hong Kong
3Medaes Medical Centre, Hong Kong
Correspondence to:Kar Wai Alvin Lee
E-mail: alvin429@yahoo.com
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Scarring can complicate acne vulgaris and lead to considerable psychosocial implications. Resurfacing and collagen regeneration treatments for acne scars include cryotherapy, chemical peeling, lasers and lights, and radiofrequency. Lasers have become popular among these options. A range of lasers with varying designs, wavelengths, and fractional technologies have become available as treatment choices for acne scars. This review compares the efficacy and adverse effects of these treatments. This is a literature review to determine whether the use of a combination of laser treatments yields superior outcomes compared to a single-device method in the management of acne scars. Our literature review revealed that patient factors, including Fitzpatrick skin phenotype and acne scar subtype, are essential determinants of outcome success in acne treatment with laser. Evidence suggests that ablative CO2 and Er:YAG lasers provide the best curative effects on acne scars in all skin types. Both non-fractional and fractional techniques can effectively treat atrophic acne scars. However, when using a pulse-dye laser to treat hypertrophic scars, the outcomes are variable. Potential complications of ablative lasers include acne flares, infections, and scarring.
Keywords: acne, CO2 laser, Er:YAG laser, laser, scarring
Tin Hau Sky Wong, MBBS, MRCSEd, MScPD, MScAPS
J Cosmet Med 2021; 5(1): 1-6 https://doi.org/10.25056/JCM.2021.5.1.1Sang Min Hyun, MD, PhD, Dong-Hak Jung, MD, PhD
J Cosmet Med 2019; 3(2): 71-74 https://doi.org/10.25056/JCM.2019.3.2.71
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