INTRODUCTION
Fractional laser therapy has become one of the mainstays
of laser therapy around the world to treat a myriad of
skin care concerns. Clinical evidence-based medicine has
shown great success for these devices in improving the signs of
photodamage, including fine lines and wrinkles, pigmentary dyschromias,
and even skin laxity. In addition, fractional lasers have
been shown to improve scars, whether from acne or trauma.1,2
When determining the most effective treatment, many clinicians
realize that in order to achieve the desired clinical effect, a
fraction laser that can generate "damage" that is superficial in
nature or that has the ability for deeper penetration will allow
customization for the individual patient and the specific target
area. This challenge has prompted the development of the Acu-
Pulse MultiMode carbon dioxide (CO2) fractional laser (Lumenis
Ltd, Yokneam, Israel).
In a recently published clinical manuscript, Gold and Biron3 enrolled
15 subjects with photodamaged skin in an institutional
review board-approved clinical research study to evaluate the
improvement achieved in fine lines and wrinkles, as well as the
overall skin texture in the treated individuals following a single
treatment with a combination deep and superficial ablative fractional
device. These subjects received a deep AcuPulse treatment
in the perioral and periorbital regions followed by a full-face superficial
treatment. The AcuPulse treatment parameters used in
this initial clinical trial were as follows: for the deep fractional
component, energy was 5 to 20 mJ in a superpulsed mode, and a density of 5% to 15%; for the superficial component, energy of
50 to 170 mJ was used in a continuous mode, and at a density of
40% to 60%. Each patient was treated once and then followed up
with at 7 days, 30 days, and 90 days following the therapy.
Investigators rated the effectiveness, as assessed by improvement
of wrinkles, pigmentation, and overall skin, as good to
very good in 50% of the subjects. The average wrinkle score and
pigment score mirrored this effectiveness, with reductions from
4.3 and 4 to 2.8 and 2.7, respectively, at the end of the study.
These reductions were statistically significant as compared with
baseline (P<.01, t test for paired data). Subject assessment and
satisfaction confirmed the results as at least 65% of the subjects
graded the results as good to very good at the 3-month followup
visit, and more than 85% of the subjects were satisfied with
the treatment. There was a high correlation (0.79) between the
subjects' perception of improvement and satisfaction.
From this initial clinical study, the evaluation to treat skin of color
was warranted in 5 individuals in a commercial setting and
will be outlined in this report. This report will review the Acu-
Pulse device itself and some early clinical experience and will
detail new experience utilizing the machine on patients with
skin of color. As patients with skin of color are a growing population
in the field of dermatology, establishing the safety and
efficacy of laser devices is a priority in their care. The purpose
of this report is to discuss the safety and efficacy of this new
device in a diverse population of patients with skin of color.
