Rosacea is a chronic and progressive inflammatory skin disorder affecting the facial convexities for which no curative measure is currently available. Forty consecutive patients with
rosacea were treated with the Cynosure PhotoGenica V
pulsed dye laser. The improvement following
laser therapy was assessed according to a sliding scale: 1 (worse
after treatment), 2 (no improvement), 3 (slight improvement), 4 (moderate improvement), 5 (marked improvement). Following an average of 2.4 (range 1-10)
laser treatments, a mean score of 4.4 and 4.3 for overall improvement was achieved as judged by the patients and independently assessed by a family member or a close friend of the patients, respectively. The response of
erythema and
telangiectasia to
laser therapy, evaluated by an independent panel of 10 members, showed a mean score of 3.7. Three patients experienced an exacerbation of
rosacea during the treatment period requiring
antibiotic therapy. During the follow-up period of 6.0-55.5 (mean, 23.3) months after completion of
laser therapy, no patient (including 13 patients in whom papulation and pustulation which were amongst the presenting symptoms) required medical treatment. Six patients developed post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation necessitating skin bleach but no other complication such as
scarring was observed. Three patients reported that the residual
erythema had progressed after an initial improvement during follow-up periods of 52.4, 15.8 and 6.0 months. All patients felt that
laser therapy was worthwhile. We conclude that
pulsed dye laser therapy is a useful treatment for
rosacea.