Cutis Lux

Can people safely use a fractional laser at home? A 124-person trial

Short answer

In this multicentre trial, 124 people treated their own eye-area wrinkles with a handheld non-ablative fractional laser, following written instructions. Blinded physicians reviewing photos rated wrinkles one grade better in 90% of people after daily treatment and 79% after maintenance. The main side effect was short-lived redness. There was no control group.

By Cutis Lux editorial team · Updated · How we compare

Study
Leyden J, Stephens TJ, Herndon JH. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2012;67(5):975-84.
Design
Multicentre trial, no control group
People
124 completed
Topic
Periorbital wrinkles
Source
PubMed 22386051 · DOI 10.1016/j.jaad.2012.01.041

Why it matters

It was one of the first published trials showing that ordinary users could self-treat with a home fractional laser, the device category that includes Tria FRX and MimiSilk Iris.

What they did

  • Ran two studies in which participants used a handheld non-ablative fractional laser on their own eye area.
  • Used an active phase of daily treatments, then a maintenance phase of twice-weekly treatments.
  • Followed 36 people for up to 5 months after maintenance; images were graded by blinded physicians on the Fitzpatrick Wrinkle Scale.

What they found

  • All 124 people who finished could use the device from written instructions.
  • Wrinkle scores improved by at least one grade in 90% after the active phase and 79% after maintenance.
  • The most common side effect was temporary redness after treatment.

What it cannot tell you

  • No control group, which the authors list as a limitation.
  • Single-blinded groups.
  • The abstract does not name the device brand or wavelength.

Takeaway

Self-treatment with a home fractional laser looked practical and tolerable, and blinded graders saw improvement. Without a control group, the size of the true effect is uncertain.

Matching devices

Devices whose published technology match this study: MimiSilk Iris and Tria FRX. None of them was the device tested unless the study names it.

Not medical advice. Summary based on the published abstract; read the full paper for detail.

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