at a power of 15 W, spacing of 800μm, dwell time of 600 μsec, and 3 stacks. A smoke evacuator was present in the room. After the session, the patients were prescribed SPF 50 sunblock, emollient soap, a topical steroid, and an antibiotic. Patients were instructed to avoid sun and heat for 2 days after the session. They were also told that the scab would fall off naturally in 4 days. Each patient attended 3 sessions, spaced 4 weeks apart, and follow-up was conducted the first week after each session.
The final assessment was 3 months after the last session, together
with reports of patient satisfaction and single-blinded assessment. Follow-up for early complications (transient erythema, infection, bleeding, and oozing for laser; infection, hematoma, and pain for fat grafting) and late complications (persistent erythema, hyperpigmentation, or hypopigmentation
for laser; fat atrophy or hypertrophy for fat grafting) was conducted after 1 week and every month thereafter.
Statistical Analysis
The patients were assessed by a committee of 3 physicians, a single-blinded physician, and reports of patient satisfaction via pretreatment and posttreatment digital photos. The improvement
was described using the following scale: +: 0% to 25% (mild), ++: 25% to 50% (moderate), +++: 50% to 75% (marked), ++++: 75% to 100% (excellent).
Data were coded and entered using SPSS for Windows (version 17; SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL). Data were summarized using mean ± standard deviation (SD) for quantitative variables and % for qualitative
variables. Comparisons between groups were done using the Student t test for quantitative variables, Pearson χ2 analysis for qualitative variables, and Wilcoxon signed rank test for ordinal data. A P value of < .05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS
The 3-physician committee assessment was statistically insignificant
regarding scar improvement (P=.097), texture improvement (P=.132), malar fullness (P=.253), and overall appearance (P=.097) (Figure 1). As for the single-blinded assessment, it was statistically
insignificant as regards scar improvement (P=.212) and overall appearance (P=.307) (Figure 2). Patient satisfaction in both groups turned out to be statistically insignificant as regards scar improvement (P=.244), texture improvement (P=.500), and overall improvement in appearance (P=.123) (Figure 3).
The overall improvement in the appearance of group A, assessed by the 3-physician committee, was statistically significantly higher (P=.023) than the single-blinded assessment. The overall improvement
assessed by the patients was statistically significantly higher (P=.026) than the single-blinded assessment. The overall appearance
assessed by the 3-physician committee was statistically insignificant (P=.180) compared to patient satisfaction.
The overall improvement in the appearance of group B, assessed by the 3-physician committee, was statistically insignificant (P=.890) when compared to the single-blinded assessment. The overall improvement assessed by the patients was statistically significantly higher (P=.014) than the single-blinded assess-
