Abstract
Background: Most data on laser resurfacing have come from studies of people with Fitzpatrick skin types 1 - 3; however, the world’s population is comprised mostly of Fitzpatrick skin types 4 - 6, which are more susceptible to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). Objective: For the purpose of expanding the expertise of plastic surgeons treating patients with darker skin types, this study examined the incidence of PIH in Asians who underwent laser resurfacing, including a histologic arm on fractional ablative resurfacing. Methods & Materials: The clinical study included six subjects of Vietnamese origin who underwent single-depth fractionated CO2 laser resurfacing. The histologic study involved a seventh subject. The MiXto SX® laser with a new scanning handpiece was used, along with magnifying loupes to assess ablative depth after each of three laser passes performed. Photographs were taken at various postoperative intervals. Results: All six clinical subjects showed cosmetic improvement in skin texture and tone with no post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. In the histologic study, H&E stained sections revealed uniform diathermy. Conclusion: It is possible to significantly reduce PIH in darker skinned subjects through use of a new scanning handpiece and a technique using loupes to assess the depth of ablative resurfacing. The histologic study confirms these findings.
Highlights
Most data on laser resurfacing have come from studies of people with Fitzpatrick skin types 1 - 3; the world’s population is comprised mostly of Fitzpatrick skin types 4 - 6, which are more susceptible to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH)
Subjects selected for single-depth fractionated CO2 laser resurfacing were six people of Vietnamese origin: four females and two males with ages ranging from 26 to 45
Photographs were blindly evaluated by an oculoplastic surgeon looking for evidence of hyperpigmentation
Summary
Most data on laser resurfacing have come from studies of people with Fitzpatrick skin types 1 - 3; the world’s population is comprised mostly of Fitzpatrick skin types 4 - 6, which are more susceptible to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). Objective: For the purpose of expanding the expertise of plastic surgeons treating patients with darker skin types, this study examined the incidence of PIH in Asians who underwent laser resurfacing, including a histologic arm on fractional ablative resurfacing. Conclusion: It is possible to significantly reduce PIH in darker skinned subjects through use of a new scanning handpiece and a technique using loupes to assess the depth of ablative resurfacing. In Asians, among the lighter-complexioned Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese, the signs of photoaging are solar lentigines, seborrheic keratoses, and deeper wrinkling These symptoms usually do not develop until the age of 50. Among lighter-complexioned Asians living in countries where sun exposure is more intense (such as Cambodia, Thailand, and Singapore), the signs of photoaging can develop at an earlier age [3]
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