A few sessions of a new type of laser treatment appears to smooth out acne scarring with a relatively short recovery time, according to the results of a new study.

“Improvement is long-lasting, and (patients) may continue to improve for up to a year following the last treatment,” lead author Dr. Paul M. Friedman of the DermSurgery Laser Center in Houston told AMN Health.

Friedman noted that acne scars are typically the result of damage to the protein collagen of the skin. During the treatment, a series of “nonablative” lasers “work beneath the surface skin layer to stimulate collagen growth,” Friedman explained, which helps improve scarring as well as minimize fine lines.

“By stimulating collagen production, nonablative lasers also give the skin a healthy glow and smoother texture,” he added.

Ablative lasers, in contrast, work by heating and removing the skin. After this treatment, patients typically take longer to recover, and are at risk of pigmentary changes and post-operative redness, Friedman and his team report in the Archives of Dermatology.

People are able to go right to work after nonablative laser treatment, he said, making it a “lunchtime procedure.” In contrast, people need 7 to 10 days of “downtime” to recover after treatment with ablative lasers, he said.

Each nonablative laser treatment costs approximately $400-$600 per session, Friedman noted.

To test how well nonablative lasers work, Friedman and his colleagues administered multiple sessions of the laser treatment to 11 people with mild-to-moderate acne scars.

After three sessions, participants’ skin improved by an average of nearly 10 percent. However, one month after the fifth treatment, improvement rates rose to 23 percent. And at six months, the researchers recorded a nearly 40-percent decrease in skin roughness.

Friedman explained that skin likely continues to improve following treatment because the skin collagen continues to remodel.

“The use of nonablative laser systems is a good treatment alternative for patients with acne scarring who are unable or unwilling to endure the prolonged postoperative recovery process associated with ablative laser skin resurfacing procedures,” Friedman said.

He added that some nonablative laser treatments also appear to work by shrinking oil-producing glands in the skin.

SOURCE: Archives of Dermatology, November 2004.