Comparative treatment of small diameter (≤400 μm) vascular lesions using extended pulse dye lasers

Background and Objectives: Extended-pulse dye lasers (EPDL) are commonly used to treat a variety of vascular lesions. This study evaluated whether differences in pulse formats and cooling methods might affect outcome in the treatment of small facial telangictasia. Study Design/Materials and Methods: Ten subjects presenting with symmetric, bilateral facial telangiectasia were studied. Each side of the face was treated with either the V-Star™ smart-cool air cooling (Cynosure, Inc.) (VS) or V-beam DCD cooling (Candela, Inc.) (VB) EPDL treatments with both systems were undertaken with a 10-milliseconds pulse duration, 1 J/cm² below the purpuric threshold, with up to three passes. Results: Treatment clearance with the VS EPDL occurred with a lower fluence, using fewer passes than with the VB EPDL (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Although both the currently popular EPDL systems are highly effective in the treatment of small facial telangiectasia, clinical differences can be seen between these two systems.