• Medical Lasers
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.49-51
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• 2021

The perioral region, which is one of the most conspicuous parts of the face, plays a significant role in interpersonal communication. However, the perioral region is highly susceptible to scarring and pigmentation and is difficult to treat. The causes of perioral hyperpigmentation are many, including physiologic reasons, systemic diseases, drugs, and infections. In the treatment of perioral hyperpigmentation, the cause of the disease must be diagnosed first. Management includes lifestyle modifications such as reducing the UVA exposure time, use of topical treatments including hydroquinone and retinoids, and physical therapy including laser therapy. We report a case of perioral hyperpigmentation treated with 1,064-nm Q-switched neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser toning.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.120-122
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• 2021

Partial unilateral lentiginosis (PUL) is an unusual pigmentary disorder characterized by numerous lentigines on the skin, with onset usually during early childhood. It is characterized by unilateral segmental distribution with sharp margins in one or more dermatomes. Conventional laser treatments result in several adverse effects, such as mottled pigmentary changes (hyper or hypopigmentation), especially in people of Asian descent. A 57-year-old man with PUL on the neck was treated with a high-fluence 1,064-nm Q-switched (QS) neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser. After 20 treatment sessions, the lesions markedly improved without adverse effects or recurrence. We suggest that high-fluence 1,064-nm QS Nd:YAG laser treatment is an effective and safe modality for PUL.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.184-186
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• 2020

Lower eyelid blepharoplasty is a popular facial rejuvenation surgery that restores the infraorbital region. The procedure is performed by removing excessive fatty tissues, muscles, and other unnecessary structures. The structure of the eyelid differs from person to person and is quite complex; therefore, numerous side effects are expected. Common lower eyelid blepharoplasty complications are asymmetrical faces, retrobulbar hemorrhage, blurred vision, and ectropion. This paper reports a case of a prominent periorbital vein after lower eyelid blepharoplasty. The prominent periorbital vein after surgery is a rare side effect that has not been reported to the best of the author's knowledge. This case was treated with a long-pulse 1,064-nm neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.90-95
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• 2021

Background and Objectives Surgery for harvesting costal cartilage is often required for revision septorhinoplasty due to a lack of septal cartilage in patients with a severely contracted nose, and postoperative scarring on the anterolateral rib cage commonly requires additional treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of combined polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) and microlens array (MLA)-type nanosecond-domain neodymium (Nd):yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) laser treatment for postoperative scars after costal cartilage harvest surgery. Materials and Methods Nine Korean patients with scars after costal cartilage harvest surgery treated with PDRN injections and MLA-type Nd:YAG laser treatments were retrospectively reviewed. Results Most of the scar lesions exhibited clinical improvement at 2 weeks after PDRN and MLA-type nanosecond-domain laser treatments, and the lesions further improved after adding more treatment sessions. The median Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) score decreased from 6 (interquartile range [IQR]: 6-7) before combined intralesional PDRN injection and MLA-type, nanosecond-domain Nd:YAG laser treatments to 3 (IQR: 2-4) thereafter. Patient satisfaction after the combination treatments was rated as satisfactory. None of our patients reported major adverse events. Conclusion This case series study demonstrated that combined PDRN and MLA-type, nanosecond-domain Nd:YAG laser treatments are effective and safe for treating scars from costal cartilage harvest surgery.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.242-245
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• 2021

Acne vulgaris is a common inflammatory skin disease of the pilose-baceous unit. It appears as lesions consisting of comedones, papules, pustules, and nodules of varying shapes and severity. In general, the first-line treatment for acne vulgaris includes topical and oral medication. Recently, various physical modalities have also been investigated. The use of laser therapy is steadily increasing because of its fewer side effects, short procedure time, and rapid results. In particular, laser therapy assisted with carbon suspension application is effective for acne vulgaris but may sometimes result in discomfort due to odor and dust formation during the procedure. Herein, we report that acne vulgaris and enlarged facial pores can be safely and effectively treated with laser therapy assisted with diamond particle suspension and gold microparticle application, which can address the discomfort caused by the carbon suspension application.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.84-87
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• 2020

Post-acne erythema (PAE) is one of the major problems during or after treatment of acne vulgaris with any modality. A variety of therapeutic options have been described with various clinical outcomes and side effects. We report here on treating a patient with PAE using 595-nm picosecond-domain neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser. After four sessions of treatment, the patient displayed nearly complete improvement and no remarkable adverse effects. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first case of the effective treatment of PAE using a 595-nm picosecond-domain Nd:YAG laser. We recommend that using a 595-nm picosecond-domain Nd:YAG laser can be both an effective and safe treatment option for treating PAE.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.87-89
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• 2019

Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is a reactive hypermelanosis of the skin that occurs as a result of various inflammatory responses such as surgical procedure, trauma, and many inflammatory conditions. There are several reported studies of various modality in managing PIH. However, the treatment of PIH can prove to be challenging. In this report, we treated a patient with PIH using picosecond-domain Nd:YAG lasers. After ten sessions of 1,064-nm picosecond-domain Nd:YAG laser treatment, the patient presented considerable improvement with no remarkable side effects or recurrence over the duration of 6 months. We suggest that a 1,064-nm picosecond-domain Nd:YAG laser can be effectively and safely used for treating pigmented lesions resulting from surgical procedure in the skin of Asian patients.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.24-27
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• 2019

Seborrheic keratoses (SKs) have been treated with non-ablative longpulsed (LP) lasers, including LP 532-nm neodymium (Nd): yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG), LP 695-nm ruby, LP 755-nm alexandrite (Alex), and LP 1,064-nm Nd:YAG lasers, with a pulse durations of 1-300 msec. Dual-wavelength LP 755-nm Alex/1,064-nm Nd:YAG laser systems have been used to remove hair follicles and treat various vascular and pigmented disorders by sequentially delivering two pulses of different wavelengths with interpulse intervals in the millisecond range. This paper reports the case of a female patient with multiple, discrete, light brown SKs on the dorsum of both hands that were treated effectively with one session of dual-wavelength LP 1,064-nm Nd:YAG/755-nm Alex laser treatment. The treatment settings for the LP Nd:YAG laser were comprised of a wavelength of 1,064 nm, fluence of 50 J/cm², pulse duration of 5 msec, and beam size of 3 mm. The settings for the LP Alex laser were comprised of a wavelength of 755 nm, fluence of 50 J/cm², pulse duration of 5 msec, and beam size of 3 mm. A hybrid mode was used to automatically deliver LP Nd:YAG and LP Alex laser pulses in succession at interpulse intervals of 20 msec. Six weeks after treatment, the patient exhibited remarkable improvement of the light brown seborrheic keratoses and was satisfied with the results.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.142-149
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• 2020

Background and Objectives A picosecond-domain laser treatment using a microlens array (MLA) or a diffractive optical element elicits therapeutic micro-injury zones in the skin. This study examined the patterns of tissue reactions after delivering multiple pulses of 1,064-nm, MLA-type, picosecond neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser treatment. Materials and Methods Multiple pulses of picosecond laser treatment were delivered to ex vivo human or brown micropig skin and analyzed histopathologically. A high-speed cinematographic study was performed to visualize the multiple pulses of picosecond laser energy-induced skin reactions in in vivo human skin. Results In the ex vivo human skin, a picosecond laser treatment at a fluence of 0.3 J/cm² over 100 non-stacking passes generated multiple lesions of thermally-initiated laser-induced optical breakdown (TI-LIOB) in the epidermis and dermis. In the ex vivo micropig skin, stacking pulses of 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 at a fluence of 0.3 J/cm² generated distinct round to oval zones of tissue coagulation in the mid to lower dermis. High-speed cinematography captured various patterns of twinkling, micro-spot reactions on the skin surface over 100 stacked pulses of a picosecond laser treatment. Conclusion Multiple pulses of 1,064-nm, MLA-type, picosecond laser treatment elicit marked TI-LIOB reactions in the epidermis and areas of round to oval thermal coagulation in the mid to deep dermis.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.32-34
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• 2019

Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is a reactive hypermelanosis of the skin that occurs as a result of variable inflammatory processes, such as trauma, and many inflammatory conditions. Although a range of modalities of managing PIH have been reported, the treatment of PIH is challenging. In this report, a patient with PIH was treated using picosecond-domain Nd:YAG lasers. After three sessions of 1,064-nm picosecond-domain Nd:YAG laser treatment, the patient showed almost complete improvement with no remarkable side effects or recurrence over the duration of six months. Overall, 1,064-nm picosecond-domain Nd:YAG laser can be used effectively and safely for treating pigmented lesions in the dermis, particularly PIH, in Asian patients.