Effects of various parameters of the 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser for the treatment of enlarged facial pores

BACKGROUND: A variety of treatment modalities have been used to reduce the size of enlarged facial pores without obvious success. OBJECTIVES: To assess and compare the effects of various parameters of a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser in the treatment of enlarged facial pores. METHODS: This was a prospective intra-individual left-right comparative study. A total of 40 individuals with enlarged facial pores were recruited for this study. Ten individuals were respectively treated on one half of the face with a quasi long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser (method 1), a Q-switched 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser (method 2), both quasi long-pulsed and Q-switched 1064 nm Nd:YAG lasers without carbon-suspended lotion (method 3), and both quasi long-pulsed and Q-switched 1064 nm Nd:YAG lasers with carbon-suspended lotion (method 4). The other half of the face was left untreated as a control. Five laser sessions were performed with a 3-week interval. The pore sizes were measured using an image analysis program and the sebum level was measured with a Sebumeter before and after the treatments. RESULTS: The pore size and sebum level decreased in all four methods on the treated side compared to the control (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser is an effective method for reducing pore size and sebum level.