Treatment of facial vascular lesions with a 100-mu spot 577-nm pulsed continuous wave dye laser.

The present study documents the treatment and follow-up of 25 patients treated for four different types of superficial facial vascular lesions with the continuous wave, mechanically pulsed, yellow (577-nm wavelength) tunable dye laser using a 100-mu spot diameter handpiece and pulse durations of 0.05 to 0.10 s. When absorbed, this wavelength generates heat specifically within superficial blood vessels and, if delivered in a brief, intense pulse to a small, focused spot, can cause selective damage without destruction of the adjacent epidermis or surrounding dermis. The results indicate that the physician can attain an excellent clinical outcome while significantly reducing potential adverse side effects seen in treating these lesions with more conventional laser systems.