Incorporating a new holographic beam splitter in a picosecond laser may help improve the appearance of acne scars, according to a study published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine (LSM).

The paper was selected as Editor’s Choice in the November 2017 issue of LSM.

“This is the first publication demonstrating the effectiveness of a new picosecond-domain (super short pulse-duration), dual wavelength, 1,064 and 532 nm, laser for improving the appearance of acne scarring. This laser uses a novel holographic hand piece to deliver precise beams of very focused laser energy,” says study author Eric F. Bernstein, MD, MSE, the director of Main Line Center for Laser Surgery in Ardmore, Pennsylvania and clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

The lens array fractionates the laser beam into many focused areas of higher-intensity laser energy, with lower energy zones in between. One theorized benefit of the fractioned beam is to decrease the risk of post-procedure post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.