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Topical Vitamin K Effectively Treats Bruising Following Laser Therapy

Topical vitamin K can reduce the severity of bruising following dermatological laser therapy, especially in the days immediately after treatment.

However, topical vitamin K is ineffectual when applied pre-treatment in an effort to reduce bruising following therapy.

Dermatologists at the University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida had noted a significant degree of bruising following pulsed dye laser therapy and other cosmetic procedures. Consequently they evaluated the efficacy of topical vitamin K, versus placebo to prevent and clear laser induced purpura.

They enrolled 22 patients in a double-blind randomised placebo controlled study. Eleven patients formed part of a pre-treatment group. They applied vitamin K cream to half their face and vehicle alone to the other half, twice daily over a two-week period prior to laser therapy. The remaining 11 patients followed the same procedure for two weeks post-treatment.

Therapy commenced on day zero, when all patients underwent laser therapy for facial telangiectases, with a 585-nm pulsed dye laser. Using a visual analogue scale, both patient and physician rated the bruising on days zero, three, seven, 10, 14 and 17.

No significant difference was noted in the degree of bruising at the side of the face treated with topical vitamin K prior to surgery when compared with the placebo. However, patients in the post-laser therapy group displayed considerably lower scores of severe bruising on the side of the face on which vitamin K cream was applied by comparison with the placebo.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology August 2002 Vol 47 No 2 pp241 -244 "The effects of topical vitamin K on bruising after laser treatment"

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