Treatment of a resistant port-wine stain with the 1.5-msec pulse duration, tunable, pulsed dye laser

BACKGROUND. Pulsed dye lasers (PDLs) have been developed with relatively long pulse durations in comparison to their predecessors. OBJECTIVE. To demonstrate the efficacy of the 1.5-msec PDL for treating a port-wine stain that was resistant to the 0.5-msec PDL. METHODS. A 31-year-old man with a congenital port-wine stain underwent treatment with the PDL seven times over approximately 2 years. Although it lightened, no areas demonstrated complete clearing. He recently presented for treatment with the 1.5-msec PDL. RESULTS. Initial results of treatment with a 1.5-msec PDL on this patient's port-wine stain demonstrate dramatic clearance of areas previously treated with an identical fluence using a 0.5-msec PDL. CONCLUSION. Longer pulse duration PDLs should be further investigated for the treatment of port-wine stains and may offer improved efficacy over shorter pulse durations.