Journal of Infectious Diseases & Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Background: Rosacea is a common disease. Persistent centrofacial erythema and telangiectases are common features of erythematotelangiectatic rosacea. Objective: We aimed to compare the effects of microsecond pulse duration light system and millisecond pulse duration light system in treatment of facial erythematotelangiectatic rosacea. To our knowledge, there was no previous study using intense pulse light (IPL) with microsecond pulse duration for treatment of erythematotelangiectatic rosacea. Methods: This was a split-face, double-blind, randomized & controlled trial. Each patient received four treatment sessions at one month intervals with microsecond for one side and millisecond pulse duration light system for the other side of his/her face. Duration of erythema, pain scores and patients and dermatologists opinion about improvement of lesions were recorded and the face was photographed. Results: Ten patients (eight women and two men) with skin phototypes III to V were enrolled; one woman was excluded because of prolonged depigmentation; the data of the nine participants who completed the study were analyzed. Duration of facial erythema using millisecond IPL was significantly longer than microsecond IPL and there was no statistically significant difference in mean improvement grade and pain scores between the two devices. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation was detected in one case with skin phototype IV after the second session with millisecond IPL, which resolved five weeks later. No serious adverse events were observed. Conclusion: Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea is safely and effectively treated with microsecond and millisecond IPL systems. Erythema occurring after using microsecond device may persist shorter than that of millisecond one. Except duration of erythema, no other difference was observed between devices. Further studies are recommended to demonstrate the benefits of IPL with microsecond pulse duration in the treatment of facial telangiectases and other vascular lesions.

Biography

Email: azizian_z@yahoo.com