Pain associated with injection of botulinum A exotoxin reconstituted using isotonic sodium chloride with and without preservative: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial

CONTEXT

Botulinum A exotoxin is used for various indications, including the treatment of dynamic forehead lines.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether injection with botulinum A exotoxin reconstituted with preservative-containing normal saline (isotonic sodium chloride) is less painful than injection with exotoxin that has been reconstituted with preservative-free saline.

DESIGN

Two arms: (1) retrospective study; (2) double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

SETTING

A multiple-physician dermatology practice.

PATIENTS

(1) Retrospective study-20 consecutive adult patients presenting for treatment of upper-face dynamic lines; (2) prospective study-15 consecutive adult patients presenting for treatment of upper-face dynamic lines.

INTERVENTION

In prospective study only, one side (left or right) of the face was treated with exotoxin reconstituted with preservative-containing saline, and the other side, with exotoxin reconstituted with preservative-free saline.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

(1) Retrospective study-discomfort at current treatment (with preservative-containing saline) compared with discomfort with most recent prior treatment (with preservative-free saline); (2) prospective study-discomfort on the side treated with preservative-containing saline compared with discomfort on the side treated with preservative-free saline.

RESULTS

(1) Retrospective study-18 (90%) of 20 patients reported that treatment with exotoxin reconstituted with preserved saline was less painful than prior treatment with exotoxin reconstituted with preservative-free saline; (2) prospective study-15 (100%) of 15 patients reported less pain in the side of their face treated with exotoxin reconstituted with preservative-containing saline (P<.001). Pain on the preservative-containing side was 54% less. No difference in treatment efficacy between the sides was observed by investigators or patients.

CONCLUSION

Use of preservative-containing saline to reconstitute botulinum A exotoxin can significantly decrease patient discomfort on injection.

Severe, intractable headache after injection with botulinum a exotoxin: report of 5 cases

BACKGROUND

Botulinum A exotoxin is a safe agent in common use in dermatology. Occasionally, patients receiving botulinum toxin injections report postprocedure discomfort, including headaches.

OBJECTIVE

Our purpose was to estimate the rate of severe headaches occurring after injection with botulinum toxin for dermatologic indications.

METHODS

We used prospective monitoring of botulinum toxin injection outcomes in a single-site, 3-dermatologist practice. There was in-office and telephone follow-up of patients experiencing severe headaches.

RESULTS

Approximately 1% of patients (4/320) receiving botulinum A exotoxin injections may experience severe, debilitating headaches. These may persist at high intensity for 2 weeks to 1 month before gradually fading.

CONCLUSION

Botulinum A exotoxin injection may be associated with the development of life-altering headaches. Patients should be informed of this possibility.

Laser surgery of leg veins

The use of lasers and light sources in treating lower-extremity blood vessels has not been as successful as they are for treatment of facial telangiectasia. Several reasons for this lack of success include increased hydrostatic pressure on the lower extremities and the anatomy of lower-extremity blood vessels. These vessels are in a deeper location, have thick surrounding adventitial tissue, and have increased basal lamina when compared with facial telangiectasia. Improvements in matching pulse duration to vessel size, use of more penetrating, longer wavelengths, and the addition of sophisticated cooling methods have improved the results with leg veins during the past 2 years. Further refinements in laser technology over the next few years will probably enhance treatment efficacy of lower-extremity telangiectasias.

Evaluation of a silicone occlusive dressing after laser skin resurfacing

BACKGROUND

Closed dressings are thought to promote postoperative wound healing after laser skin resurfacing; however, quantitative data are lacking.

OBJECTIVE

To compare postoperative healing after combination carbon dioxide and erbium:YAG full-face laser skin resurfacing in patients who were treated with a silicone occlusive dressing (Silon-TSR; Bio Med Sciences, Inc, Bethlehem, Pa) vs open-wound care consisting of soaks and ointment application.

DESIGN

Thirty-five patients with closed dressings compared retrospectively with 35 control subjects with open-wound care. In a prospective evaluation, 27 patients with closed dressings were then compared with 27 historical controls matched by age, sex, skin type, and treatment technique. Erythema, crusting, swelling, pain, pruritus, purpura, long-term complications, and dressing comfort were evaluated.

SETTING

Referral-based academic practice.

RESULTS

Prospectively, closed-dressing and open-wound care groups differed significantly in maximum erythema severity (1.8 vs 2.0 on a scale of 0-3; P =.03), noticeable erythema duration (15.4 vs 31.1 days; P =.04), and time until complete erythema resolution (41.8 vs 96.1 days; P =.02). Swelling resolution was more rapid in the dressing group (12.1 vs 29.5 days; P =.02). Crusting was limited to uncovered areas in the dressing group, and crusting duration was shorter (5.0 vs 9.1 days; P<.001). Pain was more likely to be reported prospectively, but severity was mild, in the closed-dressing group. Other short- and long-term complications did not differ significantly. Subjective patient attitudes toward the dressing were positive.

CONCLUSIONS

Occlusive silicone dressing application decreases immediate postoperative morbidity with significantly reduced severity and duration of erythema and decreased duration of swelling and crusting. Long-term results and complication rates remain unchanged.

Acne scarring: a classification system and review of treatment options

Acne is a common condition experienced by up to 80% of people between 11 and 30 years of age and by up to 5% of older adults. In some patients, the severe inflammatory response to Propionibacterium acnes results in permanent, disfiguring scars. Over the past several decades, numerous descriptive terms and surgical techniques have been used to diagnose the types, and improve the appearance, of scarring in those persons with acne. We propose a descriptive, simple, universally applicable acne scar classification system that includes 3 scar types: icepick, rolling, and boxcar. We also have developed an effective treatment algorithm for reconstructing and improving the appearance of acne scars including punch excision, punch elevation, subcutaneous incision (Subcision), and laser skin resurfacing. This new classification system for acne scars enables the physician to more precisely identify scar subtypes. Once the scar type has been defined, appropriate and effective treatment protocols can be developed.

Lasers in skin resurfacing

The development of short-pulse high-peak power and rapidly scanned focused beam carbon dioxide lasers and normal mode erbium:yttrium aluminum garnet lasers, which can remove photodamaged skin layer by layer in a precisely controlled manner while leaving behind a very narrow zone of thermal damage, has revolutionized skin rejuvenation and enhanced our ability to treat scars. This review highlights laser-tissue interactions; the laser used for resurfacing; preoperative, operative, and postoperative issues and how to choose a candidate for the procedure; uses of resurfacing; adverse effects and complications of the procedure; and new developments in the field.

Accessibility and reliability of cutaneous laser surgery information on the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web has provided the public with easy and affordable access to a vast range of information. However, claims may be unsubstantiated and misleading. The purpose of this study was to use cutaneous laser surgery as a model to assess the availability and reliability of Web sites and to evaluate this resource for the quality of patient and provider education. Three commercial methods of searching the Internet were used, identifying nearly 500,000 possible sites. The first 100 sites listed by each search engine (a total of 300 sites) were compared. Of these, 126 were listed repeatedly within a given retrieval method, whereas only 3 sites were identified by all 3 search engines. After elimination of duplicates, 40 sites were evaluated for content and currency of information. The most common features included postoperative care suggestions, options for pain management or anesthesia, a description of the way in which lasers work, and the types of lasers used for different procedures. Potential contraindications to laser procedures were described on fewer than 30% of the sites reviewed. None of the sites contained substantiation of claims or referrals to peer-reviewed publications or research. Because of duplication and the prioritization systems of search engines, the ease of finding sites did not correlate with the quality of the site's content. Our findings show that advertisements for services exceed useful information.

Lasers in skin resurfacing

Laser skin resurfacing has revolutionized the approach to facial skin rejuvenation over the last decade. It has also added an approach to managing both atrophic and hypertrophic scars. This paper will review the basic principles of laser skin resurfacing, the different lasers used, the approach to treatment and potential complications of the procedure, followed by a discussion of future prospects in the field.

New approaches to the treatment of vascular lesions

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The pulsed dye laser was developed based on the concept of selective photothermolysis. By using a wavelength of light well absorbed by the target and pulse duration short enough to spatially confine thermal injury, specific vascular injury could be produced.

STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS

Although the pulsed dye laser revolutionized the treatment of port wine stains (PWS) and a variety of other vascular lesions, the ideal thermal relaxation time for the vessels in PWS is actually 1-10 ms, not 450 micros of the original pulsed dye laser machines. These original theoretical calculations recently have been proven correct in a study that used both an animal vessel model and in human PWS.

RESULTS

Longer wavelengths of light, within the visible spectrum, penetrate more deeply into the skin and are more suitable for deeper vessels, whereas longer pulse durations are required for larger caliber vessels.

CONCLUSION

A variety of lasers recently have been developed for the treatment of vascular lesions which incorporate these concepts into their design, including pulsed dye lasers at 1.5 ms, a filtered flash-lamp pulsed light source with pulse durations of 1-20 ms, several 532-nm pulsed lasers with pulse durations of 1 ms to as high as 100 ms, long pulsed alexandrite lasers at 755 nm with pulse durations up to 20 ms, pulsed diode lasers in the 800 to 900 nm range, and long pulsed 1064 Nd:YAG sources.

Spontaneous bullae over laser resurfaced skin

We report 2 cases of facial bullae occurring subsequent to full-face carbon dioxide laser skin resurfacing. Although the cause is unknown, both responded to potent topical corticosteroid treatment. Laser resurfacing is a relatively new procedure, and physicians should be aware of this complication.

New approaches to the laser treatment of vascular lesions

The pulsed dye laser (PDL) was developed based on the concept of selective photothermolysis. Using a wavelength of light well absorbed by the target and a pulse duration short enough to spatially confine thermal injury, specific vascular injury could be produced. While the PDL revolutionized the treatment of port wine stains (PWS) and a variety of other vascular lesions, the mathematical model predicted that the ideal thermal relaxation time for the vessels in PWS is actually 1-10 msec, not 450 microseconds. These original theoretical calculations have been proved correct recently in a study using both an animal vessel model and in human PWS. Longer wavelengths of light within the visible spectrum penetrate deeper into the skin and are more suitable for deeper vessels; while longer pulse duration is required for larger calibre vessels. A variety of lasers have been developed recently for the treatment of vascular lesions that incorporate these concepts into their design, including PDL at 1.5 msec, a filtered flash-lamp pulsed light source with pulse durations of 1-20 msec, several 532 nm pulsed lasers with pulse durations of 1 to as high as 100 msec, long pulsed alexandrite lasers at 755 nm with pulse durations up to 20 msec, pulsed diode lasers in the 800-900 nm range, and long pulsed 1064 Nd:YAG sources. Preliminary results are encouraging.