Keloid often recur after treatment, and recent studies in keloid management favor the combination therapy of laser-assisted drug delivery over monotherapy. Unfortunately, the previous researches lack long-term follow-up. In this prospective study, 41 individuals with refractory keloids underwent eight treatment sessions at 4 weeks intervals consisting of ultrapulse fractional carbon dioxide laser (UFCL), followed by postoperative application topical triamcinolone acetonide (40 mg/ml). Four follow-up moments were chosen, with follow-up of 24 months. The effects of combination therapy on scar pliability, thickness, relief, vascularization, surface area, pain, and itchiness were examined by means of the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS). 38 patients completed the full 24 months of follow-up after the whole treatment. The results reveal a fast and abiding improvement of keloid scars after the combination therapy. The mean keloid POSAS scores showed a decreasing trend in subsequent times. All POSAS components improved significantly between baseline and 24 months after start of therapy (P < .05). Long-term follow-up results demonstrate that combination keloid therapy using UFCL and tropical triamcinolone has overall significant improvement and low recurrence rate with a long-term stable results.
Keywords: combination therapy; keloid; long-term follow-up; tropical triamcinolone; ultrapulse fractional carbon dioxide laser (UFCL).
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