By Kevin A. Wilson, Contributing Editor
The multi-wavelength ADVATx laser has emerged as a favored alternative for a variety of aesthetic concerns including pigmented and vascular lesions. Physicians have also found that it is an excellent option for the management of acne vulgaris and related scarring. This solid-state device harnesses the proven power of the 589 nm and 1319 nm wavelengths modulated by a shared Q-switch to treat with little or no pain, downtime, or side effects, without need of consumables.
Michael H. Gold, M.D. Director Tennessee Clinical Research Center and Gold Skin Center Nashville, TN
According to Michael H. Gold, M.D., director of the Tennessee Clinical Research Center and Gold Skin Care Center (Nashville, Tenn.), you can treat a lot of indications with these wavelengths. “The 589 nm is well within the range for treating vascular lesions and 1319 has been around a long time for rejuvenation, improving skin tone and texture, and the appearance of scars,” he shared. Proprietary PulSync technology delivers energy as a scanned pattern or single spot for either wavelength. The scanning process prevents lingering of the laser over any one spot so need for anesthesia or cooling is minimized. Moreover, changes to the pattern and other parameters may be made on the fly during treatment. Overall, this device is sophisticated, but very easy and intuitive to operate. “What I love about the ADVATx device versus the pulsed dye laser is that there are no consumables,” Dr. Gold said. “This is great for the physician and the patient, especially considering the safety and efficacy of treatment.” “We just finished a study demonstrating the safety and efficacy of this device for acne scars,” Dr. Gold continued. “We treated 12 patients (11 women) of skin types II and III, one pass with each wavelength, three sessions at intervals of two weeks, with follow-up at three and six months after the final session.” Patients were scored using the validated ECCA acne scar grading scale1. “We observed a 42% reduction in ECCA score overall, which is clinically significant,” Dr. Gold reported. “Other than occasional moderate erythema there were no adverse effects or downtime. We also saw improvement continue through both the three and six-month follow-up visits.” Dr. Gold presented on this study at the 38th annual conference of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) in April 2018. “We tell patients to expect a course of three to four treatments, with each treatment performed every other week, but most patients will begin to see a difference after only one or two sessions,” he added. Most often, Dr. Gold uses a combination therapy for acne and acne scars, which may include topical and oral vectors as well. “You can use ADVATx as a monotherapy, which we did for the study, but in the real world we combine it with topicals or oral medication.” During the study, Dr. Gold also noticed clearance of vascular lesions. “We use ADVATx for vascular lesions and usually see complete clearance within several sessions. It does depend on the lesion; hemangiomas and port-wine stains will take more and we don’t usually use it for those, but for smaller vessels and angiomas, one or two treatments usually clears them nicely.”
“ “What I love about the ADVATx device versus the pulsed dye laser is that there are no consumables. This is great for the physician and the patient, especially considering the safety and efficacy of treatment.”
Reference: 1. Dreno B, Khammari A, Orain N, et al. ECCA grading scale: an original validated acne scar grading scale for clinical practice in dermatology. Dermatology 2007;214(1):46-51.
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