Pulsed Dye Laser While on Accutane?

I have treated patients on Accutane w/ Pulse Dye Laser (Candela V-Beam)sucessfully. We use a longer pulse duration and lower energy fluennces. Test spots are ony used in our practice for darker skinned patients.

Accutane severely diminishes the ability of the skin to heal because it decreases the pilosebaceous units in the skin. This is very effective for acne but very bad for skin healing after laser treatment. Although the pulsed dye laser is nonablative, meaning that it does not remove skin, it is probably safer to wait 6 months after stopping accutane before any laser treatment. This is especially true for ablative lasers.

The general consensus is to avoid lasers for a year following use of isotretinoin (Accutane) as it alters the ability of the skin to heal from any insult/injury. This is especially true of ablative lasers (co2, erbium). While you might get away with use of low settings of pulsed dye lasers while on Accutane, you might also end up with a scar worse than you started with due to the altered healing capabilities while on Accutane. I would not risk it until you are off the Accutane and have been off it for a minimum of 6 months and ideally 1 year.