Improvement of postfractional laser erythema with light-emitting diode photomodulation

Abstract

Background: The most common side effects of fractional laser skin treatment are erythema and edema. Low-level light therapy and light-emitting diode (LED) devices have been used to stimulate fibroblast activity and hasten wound healing.

Objective: To determine whether LED treatment immediately after fractional laser skin resurfacing affects the severity and duration of postoperative eythema.

Materials and methods: Twenty patients received treatment with a 590-nm wavelength LED array to randomly selected facial halves immediately after undergoing full-face fractional laser skin resurfacing with a 1,550-nm erbium-doped fiber laser. Differences in erythema between LED-treated and untreated facial halves were recorded at 24, 48, and 96 hours post-treatment.

Results: The LED-treated facial halves were less erythematous in all 20 patients 24 hours postoperatively. The six patients who received the highest mean energy densities during fractional laser treatment continued to exhibit decreased erythema in the LED-treated areas at 48 hours. At 96 hours post-treatment, no discernible differences between facial halves were observed in any patient.

Conclusions: Photomodulation with a 590-nm-wavelength LED array can decrease the intensity and duration of postfractional laser treatment erythema.