Surg Cosmet Dermatol. 2012;4(2):114-120
Introduction: Melasma is an acquired hyperpigmentation that affects primarily the face and occurs more frequently in women with darker skin. There are several therapies for treating melasma, however its long-term management remains a challenge.
Objectives: To evaluate fractional Erbium:YAG laser''''''''s clinical effectiveness in treating refractory melasma through the histological analysis of usual characteristics and the amount of epidermal and dermal pigment before and after treatment.
Methods: Ten patients underwent three fractional Erbium:YAG laser sessions at monthly intervals. Biopsies were obtained before and after treatment. Subjective and objective clinical evaluations were carried out before, during, and after treatment.
Results: No statistical improvement in Melasma Area Severity Index score was observed during the treatment. Hyperpigmentation of the basal layer and pigment deposition in the dermis was observed histologically. In seven cases, there was a reduction in the degree of hyperpigmentation in the epidermis, which was not statistically significant.
Conclusions: The treatment of melasma with fractional Erbium:YAG laser was ineffective. Nonetheless, a decrease in Melasma Area Severity Index scores and in the degree of hyperpigmentation of the epidermis was detected, suggesting that fractional Erbium:YAG laser can clinically and histologically improve the degree of hyperpigmentation of the skin.
Keywords: MELANOSIS, LASERS, ERBIUM
All content the journal, except where identified, is under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license - ISSN-e 1984-8773
