A decade retrospective study of light/laser devices in treating nasal rosacea

Background: Large-scale retrospective studies of light/laser in treating nasal rosacea were lacking.Objective: The study was aimed to perform a decade retrospection of the patients with nasal rosacea who were treated with light/laser devices.Methods: A study between 2008 and 2017 was performed retrospectively. Categorization of rosacea type (erythema/telangiectasia, ET; papules/pustules, PP; rhinophyma, RP) was made according to the photographs. Device settings, treatment regimens and treatment sessions of light/laser facilities were summarized. Efficacy was evaluated using a grading scale.Results: In all, 807 patients received light/laser treatments. The subtypes of nasal rosacea were ET (n = 196), PP (n = 95), RP (n = 42), ET + PP (n = 334), ET + RP (n = 15), PP + RP (n = 88), and ET + PP + RP (n = 37). The lesions of ET or PP were mainly treated with noninvasive devices (Intense pulsed light, IPL; Dye pulse light, DPL; Dual wavelength laser system, DW) and those of RP were treated with the Fractional carbon dioxide (FCO₂) laser. For the mixed subtypes, the general disposal orders of lesions were ET, PP, and later RP, and the fundamental orders of devices application were IPL, DPL, DW, and FCO₂ laser. For all types of rosacea except for RP (2-4 sessions), most of the patients received 4-6 sessions of treatments. Of all subtypes of ET, PP, RP, ET + PP, ET + RP, PP + RP, and ET + PP + RP, the patients who achieved more than 50% improvement accounted for 74.5%, 58.3%, 83.3%, 69.2%, 73.3%, 61.4%, and 51.4%, respectively.Conclusion: The multiple, sequential light/laser devices can be safely used in nasal rosacea with various degrees efficacies based on different types.