LAUSR

Abstract Background: Large-scale retrospective studies of light/laser in treating nasal rosacea were lacking. Objective: The study was aimed to perform a decade retrospection of the patients with nasal rosacea who were treated with light/laser devices. Methods: A study between 2008 and 2017 was performed retrospectively. Categorization of rosacea type (erythema/telangiectasia, ET; papules/pustules, PP; rhinophyma, RP) was made according to the photographs. Device settings, treatment regimens and treatment sessions of light/laser facilities were summarized. Efficacy was evaluated using a grading scale. Results: In all, 807 patients received light/laser treatments. The subtypes of nasal rosacea were ET (n = 196), PP (n = 95), RP (n = 42), ET + PP (n = 334), ET + RP (n = 15), PP + RP (n = 88), and ET + PP + RP (n = 37). The lesions of ET or PP were mainly treated with noninvasive devices (Intense pulsed light, IPL; Dye pulse light, DPL; Dual wavelength laser system, DW) and those of RP were treated with the Fractional carbon dioxide (FCO2) laser. For the mixed subtypes, the general disposal orders of lesions were ET, PP, and later RP, and the fundamental orders of devices application were IPL, DPL, DW, and FCO2 laser. For all types of rosacea except for RP (2–4 sessions), most of the patients received 4–6 sessions of treatments. Of all subtypes of ET, PP, RP, ET + PP, ET + RP, PP + RP, and ET + PP + RP, the patients who achieved more than 50% improvement accounted for 74.5%, 58.3%, 83.3%, 69.2%, 73.3%, 61.4%, and 51.4%, respectively. Conclusion: The multiple, sequential light/laser devices can be safely used in nasal rosacea with various degrees efficacies based on different types.