Quality of life and rosacea: Pulsed dye laser impact

Background: Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory eruption of the face that may significantly impair patients' lives, leading to considerable emotional distress and behavioral withdrawal from normal social interactions. The pulsed dye laser is a device that selectively targets oxyhemoglobin with proved efficacy in the treatment of vascular lesions, especially at purpuric doses. Objective: We decided to evaluate the impact of the pulsed dye laser on rosacea patients' quality of life using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score. Methods: Twenty-two patients with erythematotelangiectatic rosacea were enrolled in the study. They were asked to complete a DLQI questionnaire before and after three treatments. Erythema improvement was subjectively evaluated by two investigators who ranked it as equal, better or worse after the three treatments. Results: A statistically significant improvement was observed in the DLQI score after three treatment sessions. All patients were judged by the investigators to have improved facial erythema. Conclusion: This study reinforces the idea that pulsed dye laser usage for the treatment of erythematotelangiectatic rosacea is very efficient, emphasizing that it also has the ability to improve rosacea patients' quality of life.