Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026
Using a 1064-nm Picosecond Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Laser for Periorbital Hyperpigmentation
Published on: May 23, 2025
Clinical comparison of potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) versus neodymium:YAG (Nd:YAG) laser treatment for lower
Müge Güler Ozden1, Muzaffer Bahçivan, Fatma Aydin
1Department of Dermatology, Ondokuz MayisUniversity Medical Faculty, Kurupelit, Samsun, Turkey. mgulerozden@hotmail.com
Background:
The Nd:YAG laser has been considered the gold standard of treatment for leg veins, but pain and side effects have fueled physicians to use treatment alternatives.
Objective:
To compare the clinical efficacy of the long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser with KTP laser irradiation in the treatment of leg telangiectasia.
Methods:
A series of 16 patients with size-matched superficial telangiectases of the lower extremities were randomly assigned to receive three consecutive monthly treatments with the long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG on one leg and 532-nm KTP laser irradiation on the other.
Results:
For the 16 patients who completed the study, 64 leg vein sites were treated. Average clinical improvement scores were 1.94 and 1.25 for the KTP laser-treated leg and 3.38 and 3.50 for the Nd:YAG laser-treated leg with thin (≤ 1 mm) and large (1-3 mm) vessels, respectively. After the third treatment session, average improvement scores of 2.44, 1.31 and 3.75, 3.23 were given for the KTP and Nd:YAG laser-treated sides, respectively.
Conclusion:
Both the 1064-nm Nd:YAG and KTP lasers are effective in the treatment of lower extremity telangiectases. However, the KTP laser has very low efficacy with vessels larger than 1 mm and should not be elected when treating such vessels.
