Safety and Efficacy of Different Onset Times of Treatment With Pulsed Dye Laser on Improvement of Surgical Scars

Safety and Efficacy of Different Onset Times of Treatment With Pulsed Dye Laser on Improvement of Surgical Scars

The Effect of Different Onset Times of Treatment With 595-nm Pulsed Dye Laser on Improvement of Surgical Scars: A Double Blind Randomised Clinical Trial

The trial was terminated on May 2008 after inclusion of 10 patients due to low recruitment and patient compliance.

The appearance of skin after surgery plays an important role in patient's self confidence and life style. In fact, Keloids and hypertrophic scars are abnormal wound responses appearing in predisposed individuals after surgery. Among different kind of lasers, used to improve the appearance of hypertrophic scars and keloids, pulsed dye laser is now being used successfully in treatment of scars. Pulsed dye laser is effective in improving the color, height, texture, and elasticity of scars. Also, treatment with this technique is noninvasive, minimally uncomfortable, and requires no anesthesia. This study will assess the efficacy and safety of different onset times of treatment with pulsed dye laser on improvement of surgical scars.

Each scar will be divided into 3 equal parts. One part will be randomly allocated to be treated with pulsed dye laser and dynamic cooling device on the day of suture removal. Another part will be treated with pulsed dye laser and dynamic cooling device 2 months after suture removal. Only dynamic cooling device will be used for remaining part serving as control. Treatment will repeat for 6 sessions at 3 weeks intervals.

1- Clinical appearance of scar 2- Patient's satisfaction (scar erythema, scar thickness and scar induration) - Adverse events

Inclusion Criteria: Surgical scar with minimum length of 6 cm Exclusion Criteria: History of light sensitivity or photodermatoses History of adverse reactions to laser treatment

Nouri K, Jimenez GP, Harrison-Balestra C, Elgart GW. 585-nm pulsed dye laser in the treatment of surgical scars starting on the suture removal day. Dermatol Surg. 2003 Jan;29(1):65-73; discussion 73. doi: 10.1046/j.1524-4725.2003.29014.x.

Conologue TD, Norwood C. Treatment of surgical scars with the cryogen-cooled 595 nm pulsed dye laser starting on the day of suture removal. Dermatol Surg. 2006 Jan;32(1):13-20. doi: 10.1111/1524-4725.2006.32002.

Paquet P, Hermanns JF, Pierard GE. Effect of the 585 nm flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser for the treatment of keloids. Dermatol Surg. 2001 Feb;27(2):171-4. doi: 10.1046/j.1524-4725.2001.00169.x.

Alster TS, Williams CM. Treatment of keloid sternotomy scars with 585 nm flashlamp-pumped pulsed-dye laser. Lancet. 1995 May 13;345(8959):1198-200. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(95)91989-9.

Alam M, Pon K, Van Laborde S, Kaminer MS, Arndt KA, Dover JS. Clinical effect of a single pulsed dye laser treatment of fresh surgical scars: randomized controlled trial. Dermatol Surg. 2006 Jan;32(1):21-5. doi: 10.1111/1524-4725.2006.32029.

Manuskiatti W, Wanitphakdeedecha R, Fitzpatrick RE. Effect of pulse width of a 595-nm flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser on the treatment response of keloidal and hypertrophic sternotomy scars. Dermatol Surg. 2007 Feb;33(2):152-61. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-4725.2006.33033.x.

Davari P, Gorouhi F, Hashemi P, Behnia F, Ghassemi A, Nasiri-Kashani M, Firooz A. Pulsed dye laser treatment with different onset times for new surgical scars: a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Lasers Med Sci. 2012 Sep;27(5):1095-8. doi: 10.1007/s10103-011-1044-5. Epub 2012 Jan 8. No abstract available.