WEDNESDAY, June 21, 2023 -- For patients with moderate-to-severe acne, the novel 1,726 nm laser is well tolerated and offers durable improvement across skin types, according to a study published online June 14 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Macrene Alexiades, M.D., Ph.D., from the Dermatology & Laser Surgery Center of New York in New York City, and colleagues examined the tolerability and therapeutic outcomes of a novel 1,726 nm laser treatment of moderate-to-severe acne across skin types in a prospective study. A total of 104 individuals with moderate-to-severe facial acne and Fitzpatrick Skin Types ranging from II to VI were included; participants received three laser treatments.

The researchers observed a ≥50 percent reduction in active acne inflammatory lesions in 32.6 percent of participants at four-week follow-up following final treatment; this number increased to 79.8 and 87.3 percent at 12 and 26 weeks, respectively. From baseline to four-, 12-, and 26-week follow-up, the percentage of participants who were clear or almost clear increased from 0 to 9, 36.0, and 41.8 percent, respectively. No device or protocol-related serious adverse events were reported; treatments were tolerated well and did not require anesthetic. Across all skin types, therapeutic outcomes and discomfort were similar.

"The laser described here resulted in clinically meaningful progressive posttreatment improvement to at least 26-week follow-up and may alter the natural history of the disease, inducing a durable amelioration in moderate-to-severe acne across skin phototypes," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to Cutera.