Faculty Bibliography

IMPORTANCE/UNASSIGNED:Early treatment of port-wine birthmark (PWB) can be life-altering and is often associated with improved outcomes and quality of life. There is growing evidence that shorter treatment intervals may play a role in more rapid PWB clearance; however, the optimal treatment interval has not been established. OBJECTIVE/UNASSIGNED:To describe the outcomes of once-weekly pulsed dye laser (PDL) treatments for PWB in infants. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS/UNASSIGNED:This case series analyzed the medical records of patients with PWB who received once-weekly PDL treatments between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023, at the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York. These patients were younger than 6 months. Before-and-after treatment photographs were independently assessed and graded 2 months after initiation of treatment. INTERVENTION/UNASSIGNED:Once-weekly PDL treatments. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES/UNASSIGNED:The primary outcome was the percentage improvement of PWB, which was graded using the following scale: 0% (no improvement), 1% to 25% (mild improvement), 26% to 50% (moderate improvement), 51% to 75% (marked improvement), 76% to 95% (near-total clearance), and 96% to 100% (total clearance). RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:Of the 10 patients (6 males [60%]; median [range] age at first treatment, 4 [<1 to 20] weeks) included, 7 (70%) had experienced either near-total clearance (76%-95%) or total clearance (96%-100%) of their PWB with once-weekly PDL treatments after 2 months. The other 3 patients all saw marked improvement (51%-75%) and subsequently went on to achieve near-total clearance with additional treatments. The median (range) duration of treatment and number of treatments to achieve near-total or total clearance in all patients were 2 (0.2-5.1) months and 8 (2-20) treatments, respectively. No adverse events were noted. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE/UNASSIGNED:This case series found that once-weekly PDL treatments for PWB in the first few months of life was associated with near-total or total clearance of PWB with no reported adverse events, suggesting improved outcomes can be achieved with shorter overall treatment duration. Further investigation into this novel decreased treatment interval of 1 week is warranted.

BACKGROUND:Patients frequently seek laser treatment for vascular conditions. More recently, a novel 532 and 1,064 nm laser was developed to offer greater flexibility. OBJECTIVE:A prospective clinical trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of a novel, variable-sequenced, long-pulsed, 532 and 1,064 nm laser with cryogen spray cooling (DermaV, Lutronic, South Korea). MATERIALS AND METHODS/METHODS:Subjects with vascular conditions were enrolled for laser treatments. Clinical evaluations and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging were performed. RESULTS:Thirteen subjects were enrolled. The mean age was 51.3 years, and 92.3% were women. Fitzpatrick skin types I-IV were included. Treatment indications included broken blood vessels, rosacea, port-wine birthmark, and spider angioma. For physician investigator grading, all subjects were graded as improved at both 30-day and 90-day follow-up. Blinded photographic review by 3 independent, blinded physicians had a mean of 89.7% of cases selected correctly with at least 2 of 3 in agreement for 100.0% of cases. Optical coherence tomography imaging showed significant reductions in vessel density ( p = .018) and diameter ( p = .003) of the superficial vascular plexus. No serious adverse events occurred. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:A novel, variable-sequenced, long-pulsed, 532 and 1,064 nm laser with cryogen spray cooling can safely and effectively improve vascular conditions and lesions as determined by both clinical and OCT evaluation.

Traumatic tattoos can occur when foreign pigment particles are embedded within the dermis, sometimes resulting as traumatic events. Traditional treatment modalities, including surgical excision, cryosurgery, electrosurgery, dermabrasion, CO₂ lasers, and argon lasers, have limitations such as nonselectivity for pigment and risks of scarring and discoloration. We present the case of a patient who developed a postoperative tattoo after a minimal access cranial suspension facelift procedure that subsequently completely resolved after treatment with the high-powered 1064-nm picosecond laser. The patient achieved complete resolution of the postoperative tattoo after five laser treatments without adverse events or recurrence of pigmentation on follow-up. High-powered 1064-nm picosecond laser can serve as a fast, safe, and effective modality that in our clinic has become the first-line treatment for traumatic tattoos, and in our patient led to high satisfaction.