ABSTRACT Background Hybrid resurfacing lasers have emerged as a novel modality to deliver ablative and non‐ablative emissions simultaneously with reduced downtime and improved tolerability compared to traditional single‐wavelength technologies. Despite increasing clinical use, their efficacy and safety has not been comprehensively reviewed. Objectives To evaluate published clinical evidence on hybrid fractional laser systems combining ablative and non‐ablative wavelengths for dermatological applications. Methods A systematic search of PubMed was performed for English‐language clinical studies published from 1992 to 2025 assessing hybrid fractional ablative/non‐ablative lasers for cutaneous applications. Eligible study types included clinical trials, prospective or retrospective observational studies. Exclusion criteria included use of adjunctive procedures, non‐cutaneous treatment areas, preclinical studies, conference abstracts, case reports, and small case series (< 10 patients). Data was extracted on study design, device parameters, clinical outcomes, adverse events and patient satisfaction. Results Ten studies ( n = 344 patients; Fitzpatrick skin types I‐V) met inclusion criteria. Six studies addressed photoaging and four studies treated acne, traumatic, surgical or striae distensae scars. All studies demonstrated clinical improvements across validated aesthetic scales. Mean downtime was < 7 days in nearly all cohorts. The overall adverse event rate was 7.9% (23/291), predominantly transient post‐inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Patient satisfaction was consistently high and hybrid treatments were preferred over fractional ablative‐only resurfacing in comparative studies due to reduced discomfort, faster recovery, and similar or superior outcomes. Conclusions Current evidence supports hybrid fractional lasers as effective and well‐tolerated treatments for photoaging and scarring. Larger controlled trials with standardized parameters are needed to refine treatment algorithms and optimize ablative‐to‐non‐ablative emission ratios.
Estupiñan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.