LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. Potassium titanyl phosphate laser treatment can provide results comparable to and perhaps even better than intense pulsed light that is now considered the preferred method for treatment of photoaging, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery.
In a study designed to compare the two treatments, a 532-nm potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) "green" laser (Gemini, made by Laserscope) with a 10-mm spot size was used to treat one side of the face, and intense pulsed light (Quantum SR, made by Lumenis) was used to treat the other side, said Girish Munavalli, M.D., a dermatologic surgeon at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. A total of 16 patients with diffuse redness and photoaging pigmentation (Fitzpatrick skin types I-IV) were treated.
The emission profile of the 532-nm KTP laser predicts very good absorption by hemoglobin and melanin. "In addition to the absorption spectrum, as you increase the spot size to 10 mm you get deeper penetration of this wavelength," Dr. Munavalli explained.
Treatment with the KTP laser lasted for 90-120 seconds at 7-9 J/cm
Dr. Munavalli has no financial interest in either of the devices used in this study.
Patients were evaluated at 1 week and at 1 month using a standardized scale (1-10) by the treating physician. Canfield stereotactic imaging was performed, and a physician blinded to the study evaluated these images.
At 1 week, physician evaluation rated the KTP treatment as producing an overall improvement in vascularity and pigmentation of 64%, compared with a 50% improvement for IPL. Patients rated the two treatments as producing overall improvements of 56% and 40%, respectively.
At 1 month, both sides were rated as producing an improvement of 50%. However, 14 of 16 patients opted for the KTP laser for subsequent treatments, preferring its efficacy, treatment times, and comfort. KTP induced slightly more erythema and edema at 10 and 24 hours posttreatment.
Stereotactic imaging resulted in equivalent if not slightly better reduction of the components of photoaging (lentigines, telangiectasias) with KTP, compared with IPL alone.
The Gemini laser can also be set for spot sizes between 1 and 5 mm, in 0.1-mm increments. In addition the KTP laser can be switched out with a 1,064-nm Nd:YAG laser.
The system has received Food and Drug Administration clearance for the treatment of acne, wrinkles, vascular and pigmented lesions, and hair removal.