Treatment of atrophic facial acne scars with the 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser: six-month follow-up study.

OBJECTIVES To quantitatively assess improvement in acne scarring after a series of nonablative laser treatments and to determine efficacy at 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up after treatment. DESIGN Before-after trial of consecutively selected patients. SETTING Private practice at the Laser and Skin Surgery Center of New York, New York. PATIENTS Eleven patients with mild to moderate atrophic acne scarring were treated. INTERVENTIONS A 3-dimensional optical profiling imaging system was used to assess skin topography before, during, and after treatment. Patients were treated with a 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and reassessed after 3 treatment sessions and at 1, 3, and 6 months after the fifth treatment session. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The skin roughness analysis was quantified at baseline and at each follow-up interval. Pain, erythema, and petechiae formation were assessed on 3-point scales. RESULTS At midtreatment (1 month after the third treatment session), an 8.9% improvement in roughness analysis was seen. This improvement increased to 23.3%, 31.6%, and 39.2% at 1, 3, and 6 months after the fifth treatment, respectively. Patients reported mild to moderate pain with treatment. The only adverse effects noted were transient erythema and mild pinpoint petechiae. CONCLUSIONS Treatment with the nonablative 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser results in significant quantitative improvements in skin topography in patients with mild to moderate atrophic acne scars. Continued incremental improvements were noted at 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up, indicating ongoing dermal collagen remodeling after the treatment.