Treatment of port-wine stains with flash lamp pumped pulsed dye laser on Indian skin: a six year study

Fitzpatrick skin type IV and V patients with PWS were treated with a Vbeam. A wide age range of subjects saw significant improvement with no major side effects.

PubMed Reference:Thajudheen CP, Jyothy K, Priyadarshini A. J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2014 Jan.

Study Details:

  • 75 patients (44 females, 31 males, age range 8 months to 43 years, Fitzpatrick Skin Type IV&V) with PWS underwent multiple (6-17) treatments at monthly intervals.
  • Vbeam parameters: spot sizes 7-10mm, energy fluency 6-12 J/cm2, 0.45-10ms pulses, single pass with 10% overlapping, and DCD cooling.
  • 2 independent dermatologists graded photographs, using a quartile grading scale.
  • Subjects followed up at 6 monthly intervals to observe re-darkening of PWS.

Study Results:

  • All patients who had at least 6 treatments showed improvement.
  • 70% of pediatric subjects and 50% of adults had a grade 3 response (61-80% clearance) after 8-10 treatments.
  • No re-darkening of PWS during the study.
  • Lesions over the face cleared better than other areas.
  • PWS in children <5 years of age responded faster than adults due to thinner lesions that were bright pink in color.
  • Erythema, edema and crusting lasted 5-7 days. No major side effects.
  • Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (n=19 cases, 30%) resolved by 1-2 months.