Long-pulsed neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser treatment for port-wine stains
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026
Using a 1064-nm Picosecond Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Laser for Periorbital Hyperpigmentation
Published on: May 23, 2025
Marjorie U Yang1, Anna N Yaroslavsky, William A Farinelli
1Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
Objective:
Laser treatment of port-wine stain (PWS) might be improved using a deeply penetrating wavelength.
Methods:
PWSs in 17 patients were treated 3 times with a 595-nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) and a 1064-nm neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser. Fluences of 1.0, 0.8, and 0.6 times the minimum purpura dose (MPD) were used for Nd:YAG laser. Posttreatment biopsy specimens were taken. Blind assessment and quantitative analysis of PWS clearing were performed from digital photographs.
Results:
MPD for Nd:YAG laser varied widely, from 40 to 250 J/cm 2 . Purpura lasted longer after PDL. Treatment achieved similar 50% to 75% clearing with both PDL and Nd:YAG laser at 1 MPD. Nd:YAG caused greater perivascular and epidermal injury. Scarring occurred in the only patient treated with a Nd:YAG fluence greater than 1 MPD. Patients preferred Nd:YAG laser because of their faster recovery.
Conclusion:
Nd:YAG laser used at MPD is as effective as PDL for treating PWS. Nd:YAG laser fluences higher than MPD may cause scarring.
