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.