Novel Management of Rhinophyma by Patterned Ablative 2940nm Erbium:YAG Laser

Ashraf Badawi; Mai Osman; Ahmed Kassab

doi:10.2147/CCID.S286847

Novel Management of Rhinophyma by Patterned Ablative 2940nm Erbium:YAG Laser

Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2020 Dec 11:13:949-955. doi: 10.2147/CCID.S286847. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Ashraf Badawi^{1

2}, Mai Osman¹, Ahmed Kassab¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Laser Applications, National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
² Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.

Abstract

Introduction: Rhinophyma is a cosmetic disorder that causes emotional distress if the symptoms are extensive or obvious enough. Treatment options range from topical antibiotics or isotretinoin, surgical resection, cryosurgery, electrocautery, dermabrasion and more recently laser therapy. With the limitations of surgical techniques, lasers gained popularity for treating rhinophyma. However, laser ablation is invasive and can lead to side effects and prolonged downtime. Fractional photothermolysis (FP) was introduced to overcome the limitations posed by conventional ablative lasers. To the best of our knowledge, there are no previous studies to evaluate the use of Er:YAG in an ablative mode with a fractional handpiece for the treatment of rhinophyma.

Aim of the work: The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fractional ablative 2940 nm Er:YAG laser for the treatment of mild to moderate rhinophyma.

Patients and methods: Sixteen patients having mild to moderate rhinophyma were treated with fractional ablative 2940 nm Er:YAG laser. All patients received 4 laser treatments and were followed up over the following 3 months. An additional follow-up appointment 6 months after the last session was arranged to detect any signs of recurrence.

Outcome measures: Patient questionnaire was used to evaluate patient subjective satisfaction. Objective evaluation was performed by a blind assessment of clinical photographs that were taken before and 3 months after the final treatment by two independent blinded evaluators.

Results: Patient questionnaire taken 3 months after last treatment revealed that 8 patients (50%) were "very satisfied", 4 patients (25%) were satisfied, and 4 patients (25%) were somewhat satisfied. None of the patients assessed their results as not satisfying.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the use of patterned ablative Er:YAG laser with a PS01 handpiece and parameters used in this study comprise an effective tool for treatment of mild to moderate rhinophyma with rapid postoperative recovery compared with conventional surgical procedures and other ablative lasers.

Keywords: Er:YAG laser; ablative lasers; fractional lasers; rhinophyma.

Grants and funding

The authors declare that there was no funding from any party or anyone or funding agencies.