A recent study was one of the first published on use of these lasers for erythematous acne scars.

The use of a 595-nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) and 1565-nm nonablative fractional laser (NAFL) was seen as safe and efficacious in patients with acne vulgarism, according to a new study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 

"Acne erythema has been considered simple erythema or a vascular lesion; however, with the enhanced understanding of and histopathological insights regarding acne vulgaris, it is now considered an early scar with erythematous components," the authors wrote. " [...] However, there are no published studies regarding specific treatment for erythematous acne scars. During this study, we used both a PDL and NAFL to treat this type of scar and investigated the effectiveness, safety, and feasibility of this treatment approach."

Researchers assessing the effectiveness of a combination treatment using PDL and NAFL for treating these erythematous scars enrolled 90 patients with acne vulgaris and randomly assigned the patients to two groups. Group A received NAFL treatment, while Group B received both PDL and NAFL. Each patient underwent one treatment session followed by a 4-weeks of follow-up.

Patients saw significant improvements in both qualitative and quantitative scar scores in both groups, with Group B in particular showing superior outcomes. Quantitative scar score was notably higher in Group A versus Group B. Furthermore, Group B exhibited a more pronounced reduction in erythema areas post-treatment. The erythema regression rate was significantly higher in Group B. Adverse events were common, including redness, swelling, scabbing, and purpura, occurring in the majority of patients within a week following treatment.

"The combined use of the PDL and NAFL is safe and effective for erythematous acne scars," the authors concluded. "Future studies with extended treatment periods should be performed to enable a more comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy and durability of treatment."

Source: Zhou C, et al. Treatment of erythematous acne scars using 595-nm pulsed dye laser combined with 1565-nm ResurFX nonablative fractional laser. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2024;doi: 10.1111/jocd.16235.