April 2020 HSC Section 4 - Plastic and Reconstructive Problems

COSMETIC Reprinted by permission of Plast Reconstr Surg. 2019; 143(1):64-74.

Long-Term Assessment of Perioral Rhytide Correction with Erbium:YAG Laser Resurfacing

Kyle Sanniec, M.D., M.H.A. Paul N. Afrooz, M.D. A. Jay Burns, M.D. Dallas, Texas; and Miami, Fla.

Background: Use of nonsurgical skin rejuvenation has grown over the past two decades. This has led to an increase in ablative and nonablative resurfacing de- vices. Moderate to heavy perioral rhytides require an ablative laser to maximize results. Traditionally, this was performed with carbon dioxide lasers; however, more recently, erbium lasers have been used to target heavy rhytides. The purpose of this study was to assess long-term correction of perioral rhytides with the use of the senior author’s (A.J.B.) erbium laser resurfacing technique. Methods: A retrospective review of all patients who underwent perioral erbium laser resurfacing performed by the senior author from 2009 to 2016 with a minimum of 6-month follow-up was performed. Ten blinded nonphysicians and 10 blinded plastic surgeons evaluated the imaging based on a previously established standardized grading sheet, with gradation improvement from 1 to 8. The absolute and percentage improvement were evaluated, along with complications. Results: Forty-five patients met inclusion criteria, with an average follow-up of 13 months. A statistically significant score improvement of 2.2 gradations was seen, in addition to a significant improvement (from 56 percent to 66 per- cent). Both the surgeon and nonphysician groups showed improvement, with no differences between the two groups. There were no cases of hypopigmenta- tion at the 6-month postoperative visit. Conclusions: Erbium laser resurfacing is a powerful and safe tool for correct- ing perioral rhytides. It is effective in isolation or with other facial rejuvenation procedures. Erbium laser resurfacing is a useful adjunct in facial rejuvenation that can deliver exceptional results with few complications when performed within the proper guidelines. ( Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 143: 64, 2019.) CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.

U se of nonsurgical skin rejuvenation has increased exponentially over the past 20 years, with over 4.6 million cases performed annually. 1 This increase has led to expansion of dif- ferent types of devices for resurfacing. The use of lasers for facial resurfacing has been discussed since the 1980s, initially with carbon dioxide lasers and then with erbium-doped yttrium aluminium gar- net (erbium:YAG) lasers in the late 1990s. Ablative laser treatments have been used to target actinic skin damage and moderate to heavy rhytides. Lasers work by means of a wavelength of light being absorbed by specific targets (chromophores) From the Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; private practice; and Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute. Received for publication December 28, 2017; accepted June 28, 2018. Copyright © 2018 by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000005163

in the tissue, causing thermal damage. The tar- geted chromophore absorbs energy, which is con- verted to heat. Tissues that are heated to 60° to 70°C coagulate; above 100°C, vaporization occurs. 2 The carbon dioxide laser has a wavelength of 10,600 nm with a target chromophore of water. In the mid 1990s, the ability to deliver increasing Disclosure: Dr. Burns is a consultant for Sciton. Dr. Afrooz and Dr. Sanniec have no conflicts of inter- est in relation to the content of this article. Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the text; simply type the URL address into any Web browser to access this content. Clickable links to the material are provided in the HTML text of this article on the Journal ’s website (www. PRSJournal.com).

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