Laser therapy of freckles and lentigines with quasi-continuous, frequency-doubled, Nd:YAG (532 nm) laser in Fitzpatrick skin type IV: a 24-month follow-up.

BACKGROUND

Newly developed lasers produce excellent results with minimal complications compared with traditional treatments for freckles and lentigines.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the efficacy and safety of the frequency-doubled Nd:YAG (532 nm) laser in the treatment of freckles and lentigines in type IV skin.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Twenty adult patients (14 with freckles and six with lentigines) were subjected to a variable number of treatments with a minimum 4-week interval until no additional improvement occurred or > 75% improvement was obvious. Patients manifesting > 50% improvement were followed up once every 3 months for 24 months. The rest were regarded as treatment failures and not followed up.

RESULTS

Sixteen (80%) of 20. patients (freckles, n = 10; lentigines, n = 6) manifested more than 50% improvement. They were treat- irradiated between three and eight times with a 4-12-week interval. Complications included hypopigmentation (25%), mild textural changes (15%) and hyperpigmentation (10%). All these were mild and resolved within 2-6 months. Of 10 patients with freckles followed up for 24 months, four (40%) patients showed partial recurrence. However, all the patients maintained > 50% improvement. None of the patients with lentigines showed recurrence.

CONCLUSION

The quasi-continuous, frequency-doubled Nd:Y AG (532 nm) laser safely and effectively treats freckles and lentigines in Fitzpatrick skin type IV.