Laser and light therapy for facial warts: a systematic review

Photodynamic therapy for facial dermatosis papulosa nigra: Efficacy and safety in a preliminary study

Dermatosis papulosa nigra (DPN) is a type of benign epidermal hyperplasia that affects the appearance of patients and poses a threat to their physical and mental health. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been shown to have the advantages of non-invasiveness, efficacy, and low recurrence in the treatment of skin disorders. However, no studies have been reported on the use of PDT for the treatment of DPN. Therefore, we used PDT for the first time to treat DPN and monitor its efficacy. Forty-five patients with DPN diagnosed at the outpatient clinic of Changzhou First People's Hospital were treated with 10 % 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) once a week for four consecutive weeks and followed for 3 months. After four treatment sessions, the cure rate among the 45 patients was 71.1 %, and the overall efficacy rate was 93.3 %. The most common adverse reactions were mild erythema, edema, and temporary pigmentation. PDT is expected to become a new and effective treatment for DPN.

Relevant Dermatoses Among U.S. Military Service Members: An Operational Review of Management Strategies and Telemedicine Utilization

Despite skin being the largest and most exposed organ of the human body, skin issues can be challenging to diagnose in deployed military service members. Common reasons deployed soldiers seek dermatological evaluation include infections, inflammatory skin conditions, and skin growth. Due to limited access to specialized care in deployed settings, dermatological conditions are undertreated and underdiagnosed. As a result, dermatological conditions are a leading contributor to decreased combat effectiveness among deployed medical forces. To lessen the burden of dermatological diseases, military providers should promptly identify operational skin diseases and alleviate modifiable barriers faced by service members. In a post-pandemic era with novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and monkeypox infections, the duty to effectively treat operational skin lesions is ever important. The need for military dermatologists continues to rise as the global landscape continues to evolve with unprecedented infections and increased bioterrorism threats. Teledermatology offers many solutions to mitigate the high demand for dermatologists during pandemics. Dermatological consultations account for the highest number of telemedicine visits in the US Military Health System (MHS). As such, increased utilization of teledermatology will reduce infection-related dermatological sequelae and prevent the medical evacuation of service members from military operations. This review collates and categorizes relevant dermatological conditions encountered among deployed personnel. This report outlines the standard of care and modified treatments recommended according to potential barriers faced in operational settings.

Photodynamic therapy-a promising treatment of oral mucosal infections

The treatment of oral mucosal infections is increasingly challenging owing to antibiotic resistance. Therefore, alternative antimicrobial strategies are urgently required. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has attracted attention for the treatment of oral mucosal infections because of its ability to effectively inactivate drug-resistant bacteria, completely heal clinical infectious lesions and usually offers only mild adverse reactions. This review briefly summarizes relevant scientific data and published papers and discusses the potential mechanism and application of PDT in the treatment of oral mucosal infections.

Chemical peeling with 35% glycolic acid for the treatment of disseminated facial verruca plana: a randomized, split-face, evaluator-blinded trial

Disseminated facial verruca plana is a chronic disorder that causes significant psychological distress. However, safe and effective treatment is lacking. This study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of 35% glycolic acid for the treatment of disseminated facial verruca plana. A split-face clinical trial was conducted to explore the efficacy and safety of using chemical peeling with 35% glycolic acid for the treatment of disseminated facial verruca plana. One side of the face was applied with 35% GA once every fortnight for a total of three times. Adapalene gel was applied every night to the other side of the face as the control. The clearance rate of lesions was evaluated at different time points. Between June 2020 and December 2020, thirty patients with disseminated verruca plana who visited the Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University were enrolled. After three chemical peelings with 35% glycolic acid that was applied at 2-week intervals, 15(50%) patients achieved >70% lesion reduction. The same effective rate in the adapalene gel-treated side of the face was documented in eight patients. Subgroup analysis showed a higher clearance rate in patients with a shorter disease duration. Moreover, concurrent improvements in facial roughness were observed in the 35% glycolic acid-treated group. Adverse effects including mild erythema and desquamation were observed during chemical peeling with 35% glycolic acid. In conclusion, chemical peeling with 35% glycolic acid could be a safe and effective option for treating disseminated facial verruca plana, especially for those who desire skin improvement. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Intralesional Immunotherapy with Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine for Recalcitrant Facial Warts: A Report of Two Cases

Warts are common benign skin tumors caused by human papilloma viruses. Recalcitrant facial warts tend to be cosmetically embarrassing to patients and difficult to treat for doctors. Recently, intralesional immunotherapy by antigens like Bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine, candida antigen, and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine has shown promising efficacy. Here, we report two cases of Omani men who presented with recalcitrant facial warts that resolved completely with a single intralesional injection of the MMR vaccine.

Efficacy and safety of conventional versus daylight photodynamic therapy in children affected by multiple facial flat warts

BACKGROUND

facial flat warts (FFWs) are a superficial viral skin disease, extremely common in childhood. Recently, conventional photodynamic therapy (C-PDT) has been used for the treatment of FFWs with good outcome. The efficacy of daylight photodynamic therapy (DL-PDT) has not yet been evaluated.

OBJECTIVES

to investigate and assess the efficacy and safety of C-PDT versus DL-PDT using 10% aminolevulinic acid (ALA) in the treatment of recalcitrant FFWs in a paediatric setting.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

30 consecutive patients aged <18 years with FFWs of the face were included and randomly divided into two groups: group A (15 patients) was treated with C-PDT and group B (15 patients) with DL-PDT. Patients underwent treatments for three times with 1-month intervals. The response was assessed on week 4,812 and 24 (T4,T8,T12,T24) and scored as excellent (75-100% reduction of total wart count), very good (74-50% reduction), good (49-25% reduction), poor (<25% reduction or no response). Any adverse event occurring during/after ALA application/irradiation as well as pain intensity were recorded at each visit.

RESULTS

at T4 and T8 no excellent response was achieved in both groups. At week 12, excellent response was observed in 53.3% of group A patients vs 0% of group B patients, although in the latter 66.7% of patients achieved a very good response. Excellent outcome raised to 73.3% and 80% in group A and B, respectively, at week 24. Poor response to therapy was observed in 26.7% of patients in group A and 20% in group B. Both treatment modalities were well tolerated, with transient pain, irritation and hyperpigmentation as main side effects.

CONCLUSIONS

ALA-PDT is effective and safe for FFWs, with striking cosmetic results and no recurrence. Compared with conventional modality, DL-PDT is better tolerated, time-saving, nearly painless and greatly appreciated by young patients.

A systematic review evaluating the efficacy and safety of a combination of ablative treatment and self administered treatment versus ablative treatment alone for external anogenital warts

BACKGROUND

External anogenital warts are proliferative lesions. Till now, there is no consensus on the standard treatment of external anogenital warts. The combination of ablative therapy and self-administered treatment has been reported to achieve sustained complete clearance than ablative therapy. The aim of this review was to compare the efficacy on achieving complete clearance of warts between the combination of ablative therapy with self-administered therapy and ablative therapy alone.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination of ablative therapy and self-administered treatment for external anogenital warts. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medline, Embase and Science Citation Index Expanded, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang were searched.

RESULTS

Of 1138 initially identified publications, 37 studies in English and Chinese were included. The combination of ablative therapy and self-administered treatment therapy showed significantly high complete clearance rates at 4, 8, 12, or 24 weeks after treatment compared to ablative therapy alone. In a subgroup analysis based on the treatment duration of imiquimod cream therapy, 4 and 8 weeks of imiquimod 5% cream plus CO₂ laser produced similar efficacy on clearance. The combination therapy is tolerable for patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, this review provided evidence to support the use of the combination of ablative therapy and self-administered treatment for external anogenital warts to maintain sustained clearance.

Extragenital cutaneous warts - clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment

Extragenital cutaneous warts are benign epidermal tumors caused by human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and a frequent reason for patients to consult a dermatologist. Depending on wart type and site involved, the clinical presentation is highly varied. Given that warts represent a self-limiting condition, a wait-and-see approach may be justified. However, treatment is always indicated if the lesions become painful or give rise to psychological discomfort. Factors to be considered in this context include subjective disease burden, patient age, site affected, as well as the number and duration of lesions. Destructive treatment methods involve chemical or physical removal of diseased tissue. Nondestructive methods consist of antimitotic and antiviral agents aimed at inhibiting viral proliferation in keratinocytes. Some of the various immunotherapies available not only have localized but also systemic effects and are thus able to induce remission of warts located at any distance from the injection site. Especially patients with warts at multiple sites benefit from this form of treatment. Intralesional immunotherapy using the mumps-measles-rubella (MMR) vaccine is a particularly promising option for the treatment of recalcitrant warts in adult patients. For children, on the other hand, HPV vaccination is a novel and promising approach, even though it has not been approved for the treatment of cutaneous warts. At present, there is no universally effective treatment available. Moreover, many frequently employed therapies are currently not supported by conclusive clinical trials.

A combination of 2940-nm laser and photodynamic therapy for treatment of recalcitrant facial flat warts

BACKGROUND

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is one of the treatment options for generalized facial flat warts, which results in elimination of virus and inhibition of proliferation of warts due to photochemical and phototoxic reactions. In this research, we attempted to evaluate the efficacy and safety profiles of a combination of 2940-nm laser and PDT for the treatment of generalized recalcitrant facial flat warts.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of the patients with recalcitrant facial warts was performed. Patients in the combined group (n = 40) were treated with a 2940-nm single spot abrasion followed by a PDT; while the PDT group (n = 40) received a PDT treatment only. The efficacy was assessed by the lesion numbers and lesion clearance rate. The effective rate was calculated with the cured and excellent response rates.

RESULTS

The combined group showed significant improvements in the total effective rate (77.5%vs. 57.5%, p = 0.0416) and average clearance rate (81.68±2.83% vs. 68.13 ± 3.97%, p = 0.0068) as compared with the PDT-only group. The degree of lesion clearance was positively correlated with the treatment times in both groups. After three months of follow-up, no relapse occurred in patients from either group. Furthermore, an accumulation of photosensitizer in the lesional areas was observed in the combined treatment group.

CONCLUSIONS

A combination of 2940-nm laser and PDT was safe and showed significantly more effect than PDT alone in treatment for recalcitrant facial flat warts, partially due to the improved uptake of photosensitizer after 2940-nm laser induced skin abrasion.

Excellent cosmetic result of daylight photodynamic therapy for facial flat warts in a child

FFW are among the most frequent infectious skin conditions. Although several pharmacological and physical topical treatments are available, results are often unsatisfactory in terms of efficacy (frequent recurrence) and cosmetic outcome (risk of scars, hyper- or hypopigmentation). We describe the case of multiple recalcitrant facial flat warts treated by daylight photodynamic therapy (DL-PDT) in an otherwise health 8-year-old female child, with complete clearance and excellent cosmetic result. The advantages of DL-PDT over conventional PDT in terms of tolerability, time and cost, especially in paediatric setting are discussed.

Use of Er:YAG for the treatment of recalcitrant facial verruca plana

BACKGROUND

Recalcitrant facial verruca plana (FVP) may persist for years and full remission is not always achieved with conventional therapies. The clinical success rates reported for different lasers are highly variable and only one study evaluated the Er:YAG laser for the treatment of FVP.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether Er:YAG is safe and effective for the treatment of recalcitrant FVP.

METHODS

Forty-six patients with recalcitrant FVP were treated by Er:YAG at four-week intervals. The patients' clinical response, adverse effects such as scarring and pigment change, recurrence and patient satisfaction were assessed. Patients were clinically evaluated after each session over a six-month follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 550 lesions of 46 participants were treated with 1-3 passes. The patients received 1-4 laser sessions with one session on average. Thirty-two patients (62.5%) achieved a complete response with 458 lesions (83.3%) being completely and 30 (5.5%) being partially healed. The post-treatment side effects were post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and mild scar formation. FVP recurred in 12 patients (26.0%). Twenty-six patients (56.5%) were completely satisfied and nine (19.5%) were mostly satisfied with the treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Er:YAG laser is a good treatment option in patients with recalcitrant FVP, particularly for cosmetically sensitive areas.