Adrian Gaspar: Effect of Erbium SMOOTH on Recurrent Vaginal Candidiasis with One-Year Follow-up
The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effects of sub-ablative long-pulse Erbium laser in women suffering from recurrent vaginal candidiasis.
C. albicans is an opportunistic organism that may cause different health problems in human beings ranging from superficial infections to life-threatening invasive candidiasis. The incidence of recurrent vaginal candidiasis is on the rise in our daily practice due to many associated risk factors such as: stress with adrenal fatigue, poor nutrition with immunodeficiency conditions, and contraceptive pills with estrogen dominance, among other conditions.
20 women suffering from recurrent candidiasis received three vaginal laser sessions with 2.25 J/cm2 stacking 7 shots in the same area every 2.5 mm along the entire length of the vagina using a glass probe with a 360 ° vaginal extension to deliver the energy into the vaginal canal. The patients were treated every 2 weeks.
Statistically significant effects were observed in all patients treated, not only in recurrent symptoms, but also in their evolution. These clinical outcomes were in accordance with their vaginal cultures, which remained negative during the 12 months of follow up.
Sub-ablative long-pulse Erbium laser (SALPEL) can be proposed as a treatment option for this type of patient, significantly reducing the pathogenicity of C. albicans. It can also be concluded that SALPEL could be a possible promising treatment for superficial mucocutaneous C. albicans infections.