Premium
Novel use of non‐ablative fractional photothermolysis for café‐au‐lait macules in darker skin types
Author(s) -
Balaraman Brundha,
RavanfarJordan Parisa,
Friedman Paul M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
lasers in surgery and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1096-9101
pISSN - 0196-8092
DOI - 10.1002/lsm.22535
Subject(s) - dermatology , ablative case , medicine , surgery , radiation therapy
Importance The removal of café‐au‐lait macules (CALMs) in patients with darker skin phototypes poses a significant challenge due to limited available therapeutic options and increased risk of adverse effects, including permanent scarring and further dyspigmentation. Herein, we demonstrate the novel use of non‐ablative fractional photothermolysis for the safe removal of CALMs in individuals with Fitzpatrick skin type (FST) IV–V. Observations Retrospective analysis of four patients (FST IV–V) with CALMs revealed that three of these patients had greater than 50% clearance after multiple treatment sessions with the non‐ablative fractional 1,550‐nm erbium‐doped fiber laser. Conclusions and Relevance This report demonstrates the utility and safety of non‐ablative fractional resurfacing in the treatment of CALMs in darker skin phototypes. Lasers Surg. Med. 49:84–87, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.