Intense pulsed light and red light emitting diode for the treatment of steroid-dependent dermatitis

Abstract

Objective To retrospectively review the efficacy and side effects of intense pulsed light (IPL) and red light emitting diode (LED) in the treatment of steroid-dependent dermatitis.Methods Seventy patients with steroid-dependent dermatitis mainly manifesting as facial telangiectasis were treated with IPL for an average of 3.49 sessions with a 4-week interval.The energy density of IPL varied from 20 to 23 J/cm2,pulse width from 2.6 to 5.0 ms,and delay from 15 to 20 ms.Meantime,197 patients with steroid-dependent dermatitis,who mainly presented with facial skin sensitivity,were treated with red LED (633 ± 3 nm wave length) twice a week for an average of 4.23 sessions.The energy density of red LED was 128 J/cm2,and the irradiation lasted 20 minutes at each treatment.The efficacy and adverse reactions were assessed and recorded for each treatment.Results The total response rate was 88.57％ for IPL,and 83.76％ for red LED.There was a significant difference in the clinical efficacy between triple-pulse and double-pulse IPL (x2 =8.14,P ＜ 0.05).No severe adverse reaction was observed in any of the patients.Conclusion IPL and red LED are both effective in treating steroid-dependent dermatitis.