Single-Center,Prospective,Randomized,Phase 4 Clinical Trial to Determine the Effects of Single-Pass 560-nm Filter Intense Pulsed Light with or without an Additional Pass with a 755-nm Filter for the Reduction of Facial Rhytides

Abstract

Objective:

To investigate the clinical efficacy of the addition of a triple pulsed, 755-nm filtered flashlamp intense pulsed light to a single-pass 560-nm filter for the treatment of facial rhytids and other aspects of photodamage.

Design:

A single-center, prospective, randomized, phase 4 split-face clinical trial.

Methods:

Twenty female volunteers with Fitzpatrick skin type I–IV with a Rao-Goldman wrinkle score of 2 or higher received 2 split-face treatments 4 weeks apart, in which half of the face was treated with 1 pass of a double-pulsed 560-nm filter and the other half was treated with a double-pulsed 560-nm filter followed by a triple-pulsed 755-nm filtered nonablative intense pulsed light. Fluence varied from 15–19 J/cm². Efficacy was evaluated by patient self-assessments and by blinded clinical and photographic evaluations 1 month after the final treatment. Adverse effects were assessed clinically.

Results:

All patients noted improvement in pigmentation on both sides of the face, and 60% of patients noted an improvement in skin texture on the side that received the 755-nm filter; however, there was no discernable difference in rhytid reduction between the 560 + 755 filtered side compared with the 560 filtered side alone.

Discussion:

Two split-face intense pulsed light treatments delivered 4 weeks apart with half of the face receiving double-pulsed 560 filter treatment and the other half receiving a double-pulsed 560 filter + triple-pulsed 755 filter treatment showed no improvement in rhytid reduction. There was a subjective improvement in texture and pore size noted by patients on the side treated with the 560 + 755-nm filtered intense pulsed light treatment.