Comparative Study Between the efficacy of LongPulsed Neodymium- YAG Laser and Fractional Co2 Laser in the Treatment of Striae Distensae

[摘要] Introduction: Stretch marks, or striae distensae (SD), are the lesions of the dermis caused by its linear atrophy at the sites of stretching. They occur in more than 70% of pregnant women and adolescents as a result of cutaneous stretching. This study aimed at evaluating and comparing the clinical and histological efficacy of the fractional CO2 laser versus the long-pulsed (LP) Nd: YAG laser in the treatment of striae alba.Methods: Thirty female subjects having bilateral symmetrical stretch marks were managed by the LP Nd: YAG laser on the right side and the fractional CO2 laser on the left side. The laser treatment course consisted of 3 sessions with an interval of 3 weeks. The patient satisfaction score and the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS) were employed in the study in order to assess the improvement 3 months after therapy. Punch biopsies measuring 4 mm were extracted from one lesion on each side at baseline and after the last treatment session by 3 months to evaluate the thickness of both collagen and epidermisResults: Clinical improvement was more significant in the lesions treated with the LP Nd: YAG laser than those treated with the fractional CO2 laser. The patient satisfaction score and the GAIS were higher with a statistically significant value in the side treated by the LP Nd: YAG laser. Collagen and epidermal thickness increased more in the LP Nd: YAG laser-treated lesions in comparison to their thickness in the fractional CO2 laser-managed lesions, but this difference did not have a statistical significance.Conclusion: The clinical efficacy of the LP Nd-YAG laser exceeded that of the fractional CO2 laser in the treatment of striae alba without severe side effects in spite of the insignificant histological difference between the two lasers.

[学科分类] 基础医学

[关键词] Stretch marks;Striae alba;Long pulsed (LP) Nd-YAG Laser;Fractional CO2 laser