Dermatologic surgery : official publication for American Society for Dermatologic Surgery [et al.]
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Treatment of surgical scars with the cryogen-cooled 595 nm pulsed dye laser starting on the day of suture removal.
Cosmetic results after skin surgery are a key component of patient satisfaction and self-image. Various lasers have been used to attempt scar improvement, without consistent results. The optimal time to initiate laser treatment has not been determined. A recent study using a noncooled 585 nm pulsed dye laser starting on the day of suture removal demonstrated substantial improvement in scar appearance. ⋯ The cryogen-cooled 595 nm pulsed dye laser is a safe and effective option to improve the cosmetic appearance of surgical scars in skin types I to IV starting on the day of suture removal.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A randomized, double-blind comparison of two topical anesthetic formulations prior to electrodesiccation of dermatosis papulosa nigra.
Liposomal lidocaine 4% (L.M.X.4 cream, Ferndale Laboratories Inc., Ferndale, MI, USA) has been proposed as a more rapidly acting topical anesthetic than the eutectic mixture of lidocaine 2.5% and prilocaine 2.5% (EMLA cream, AstraZeneca LP, Wilmington, DE, USA) for venipuncture and laser procedures. However, their anesthetic efficacy has not been previously compared for electrosurgical destruction of superficial skin lesions. ⋯ EMLA and L.M.X.4 provide comparable levels of anesthesia after a single 30-minute application under occlusion prior to electrodesiccation of superficial skin lesions.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Pilot study of imiquimod 5% cream as adjunctive therapy to curettage and electrodesiccation for nodular basal cell carcinoma.
Curettage and electrodesiccation (C&D) is a widely used method to treat nodular basal cell carcinoma (BCC). However, residual tumor is present immediately after the procedure in approximately 20 to 40% of cases. Imiquimod, a topical immune response modifier that targets Toll-like receptor 7, is currently approved for superficial BCC. ⋯ Imiquimod 5% cream once daily for 1 month as adjunctive therapy after C&D substantially reduced the frequency of residual tumor and improved the cosmetic appearance compared with C&D alone. These preliminary results suggest that further studies to investigate imiquimod adjunctive therapy are warranted.