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Objective: To compare the efficacy of Intradermal Tranexamic acid and Intense Pulse Light (IPL) in the treatment of melasma. Study Design: Interventional study. Setting: Department of Dermatology, HIT Hospital. Period: Dec 2022 to May 2023. Material & Methods: 88 Female aged between 18 and 50 with melasma were included in this study. Participants who have used topical treatments for melasma, with any medical illness or bleeding disorder, history of photosensitivity were excluded. Participants of ITA group received intradermal tranexamic acid in a concentration of 4mg/ml monthly for four sessions. While the participants of IPL group were treated fortnightly for four sessions. mMASI was used to calculate the severity of melasma before and 2 weeks after last session. Patients perception of treatment efficacy and side effects were noted in each group. SPSS-28 was used. Paired t- test and independent t- test was applied to compare the effectiveness of both treatment modalities. A p-value ≤0.05 was considered as significant. Chi square was used to compare the side effects of both the groups. Results: Paired t-test indicated a highly significant p-value of less than 0.000 in both the groups. mMASI-II scores of both groups were compared using an independent t-test, p-value was found to be statistically insignificant at 0.512. Participants in ITA group experienced more side effects, comparison of side effects between both groups was done using chi-square test, and p-value was found to be statistically significant at 0.002. Conclusion: ITA and IPL have emerged as secure and efficacious therapeutic choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of electrical pulse width and output irradiance on the inactivation effect of intense pulse light (IPL) are studied in this paper. The measured radiant efficiency of pulsed xenon lamp can be more than 50%, and its irradiance can reach levels 100-times greater than that of a low-pressure mercury lamp. Staphylococcus aureus is used in inactivation experiments. When the irradiance and dose are both constant, there is no significant difference in inactivation efficiency when the pulse width is changed. However, a narrow pulse width corresponding to high irradiance at the same single-pulsed dose displays better inactivation effect. Experimental results are compared between the xenon lamp and low-pressure mercury lamp. The reduction factor (RF) value of the xenon lamp is more than 1.0 higher under the condition of both the same dose and irradiance. In order to achieve the same RF value, the dose of continuous-wave light must be at least three-times greater than that of pulsed light. The spectral action of the pulsed light is also studied. It is confirmed that UVC plays a major role across the whole spectrum. The experimental results show that extreme high-pulsed irradiance presents the main contributing factor behind the excellent bactericidal effect of IPL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The meibomian gland is a unique sebaceous gland located in the eyelid. Its main function is to secrete lipids and form the lipid layer of the tear film to delay the evaporation of waterborne tears, increase the surface tension of the tear film, and to lubricate the contact area of the eyelid and eyeball. Abnormal secretion of the meibomian gland is known as meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), which has become the most important cause of evaporative dry eye disease (DED). The clinical pathophysio-logical process and underlying molecular mechanisms of MGD are not clear. As serious side effects may occur with the long-term use of hormonotherapy and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for the treatment of MGD, meibomian gland physiotherapy is considered the most effective and safest therapy for MGD. This review summarizes the physical therapy modalities of western medicine (WM) and traditiond Chinese medicine (TCM) for the treatment of MGD to provide optimal treatments for these patients and to further lay a foundation for mechanistic studies of MGD.

The effects of electrical pulse width and output irradiance on the inactivation effect of intense pulse light (IPL) are studied in this paper. The measured radiant efficiency of pulsed xenon lamp can be more than 50%, and its irradiance can reach levels 100-times greater than that of a low-pressure mercury lamp. Staphylococcus aureus is used in inactivation experiments. When the irradiance and dose are both constant, there is no significant difference in inactivation efficiency when the pulse width is changed. However, a narrow pulse width corresponding to high irradiance at the same single-pulsed dose displays better inactivation effect. Experimental results are compared between the xenon lamp and low-pressure mercury lamp. The reduction factor (RF) value of the xenon lamp is more than 1.0 higher under the condition of both the same dose and irradiance. In order to achieve the same RF value, the dose of continuous-wave light must be at least three-times greater than that of pulsed light. The spectral action of the pulsed light is also studied. It is confirmed that UVC plays a major role across the whole spectrum. The experimental results show that extreme high-pulsed irradiance presents the main contributing factor behind the excellent bactericidal effect of IPL.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that may be treated with non-ablative light-based devices; however, no systematic reviews on the topic exist to date. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine efficacy of non-ablative light-based devices in treating HS. Specifically, a systematic review was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and CINAHL. We analyzed the use of non-ablative light-based devices in the treatment of HS. At least two investigators performed title/abstract review and data extraction. Meta-analysis was conducted using comprehensive meta-analysis software. 5 RCTs and 11 case reports/series were included (n = 211 unique patients). No observational studies were found. For Nd:YAG laser, meta-analysis of 3 RCTs reported improvement in modified HS Lesion Area and Severity Index (HS-LASI) when compared to control subjects. In addition, three case reports/series reported HS-LASI, Physician Global Assessment (PGA) scores and number-of-lesion improvements in treated patients. For intense pulsed light (IPL), two RCTs reported HS-LASI and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score improvements. For Alexandrite laser, one case report showed lesion improvement. In conclusion, meta-analysis of Nd:YAG laser in HS patients suggests significant improvement in HS-LASI scores. For IPL, evidence is limited, but suggests improvement in HS-LASI and DLQI scores. For Alexandrite laser, evidence precludes conclusions. Given small sample sizes and inconsistent reporting scales, larger RCTs are required to better determine the efficacy of these modalities in treating HS.

Background and objective: The treatment of infantile hemangioma must address both the effectiveness of the treatment and have as few adverse events as possible for the patient as a result of the therapy. The intense pulsed light (IPL) source can be useful in this regard in treating infantile hemangioma. IPL with optimal pulse technology (OPT) represents a new generation of IPLs and in this clinical investigation, the efficacy and adverse event profiles of treating infantile hemangiomas with an IPL with OPT will be reviewed. Methods: A total of 62 patients with infantile hemangiomas were included in this clinical trial. The mean age of the patients was 6 months old. The Fitzpatrick skin types for those enrolled was either Type III or Type IV. Each patient was subjected to a treatment protocol which included four to five IPL treatments at 4-week intervals. The patients were then assessed at 3 months following their last IPL treatment and clinical improvement was determined by comparisons of pre- and post-therapy photographs. The parents of the patients were asked to score their overall satisfaction with the treatments. Results: From the clinical trial presented, 76% of the infantile hemangiomas were noted to improve with great satisfaction in this clinical trial. A clearance rate of more than 80% was observed. Adverse events, as a result of the IPL treatment, was minimal with less than 5% of the treatments resulting in an adverse event, all of which were noted to be transient in nature. No scarring or pigmentary disturbances were seen in any of the patients evaluated. Conclusions: This new generation IPL with OPT can be considered a safe and effective modality for the treatment of infantile hemangioma. Marked improvement was noted in the majority of study patients and adverse events were noted to be minimal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]