Renowned for its ability to remove pigmented lesions and tattoos, Picoway, the three wavelength picosecond laser system from Syneron Candela, is now becoming an increasingly popular treatment option for acne scarring.
Syneron Candela Australia marketing manager Mike Reid said that demand for the treatment had increased around Australia since the FDA approved the device for the treatment of acne in the US late last year.
He said the FDA’s approval followed a clinical study which proved that the PicoWay Resolve 1064 nm handpiece was an effective treatment of acne scars.
During the study, 36 males and females, with Fitzpatrick Skin Types II-V and acne scarring ranging from mild to severe, received three to four treatment sessions with the handpiece at three to eight week intervals.
The efficacy of the treatments was evaluated in three ways:
- ‘real life’ visual examinations of the patient’s skin by the study’s investigators using the Acne Severity Grade Scale (0=absent, 1=mild, 2=moderate, or 3=severe)
- patient satisfaction ratings (-2 = very dissatisfied, -1 = somewhat dissatisfied, 0 = neutral, 1 = somewhat satisfied, 2 = very satisfied)
- blinded evaluation of before-and-after clinical photographs by three independent dermatologists 12 weeks after the final treatment.
The study reported:
- a 94 percent success rate of blinded evaluation clinical photographs with independent dermatologists noting a mean improvement of 1.2 units in the reduced appearance of acne scarring (based on the Acne Scar Severity scale)
- a 77 percent improvement of acne severity recorded by the investigators at the 12 week follow up visit
- a 78 percent satisfaction rating by patients at their last visit.
According to Reid, the visible improvements recorded in the clinical trials are now being replicated around Australia.
“The treatment is changing lives for people who have, in many cases, being living with their acne scars for a long time,” he said.
“Equally importantly the PicoWay is enabling them to get rid of, or at least diminish, their scars without the complications and downtime of other more aggressive lasers.”