Pigmented Lesions
When we speak of pigmented lesions, we are including:
- Nevus of OTA
- Cafe Au Lait Birthmark
- Solar Lentigos (age spots)
- Becker's Nevii
- Moles (NEVII)*
- Senile hyperkeratosis
At Laser Centers of Wisconsin, we use one of two systems to remove brown lesions: Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser or the Este Lux Y Intense Pulsed Light System. Procedures are performed under topic anesthetic cream in one of our laser treatment rooms
Unwanted dark spots appearing on the skin generally are the result of an excess amount of melanin in the skin. In solar lentigines (age spots), melanin deposits are pretty superficial and are easily removed by laser. When the melanin deposits are deeper such as in a nevus of Ota or Becker's Nevi, the melanin is deposited deeper into the skin and several treatments with the laser may be necessary to remove or improve the darkened area from the skin. Please allow seven to ten days of healing time after laser surgery.
*Removing unwanted moles for cosmetic reasons is a controversial topic in the medical community. All moles have a small potential to become malignant at some point. Lasers remove only the color of mole by thus destroying nature's signal of the changing of a mole in color or size. This change may indicate that a mole should be further examined by your doctor. Dr. Mixter will want to biopsy a mole to check its pathology before considering removal.
Lasers used: Q- Switched Nd: YAG laser Q-532nm, Q-1064nm, Q-755nm
Treatments: Lesion may require 1-2 treatments if it a superficial pigmented lesion (age spots, café au lait) or 1-4 treatments if it is deeper as in nevus of Ota, Becker's nevi. Topical anesthetic cream is used.
Post operative treatment: Both lasers cause some superficial peeling with crusting. Typically an antibiotic ointment is applied twice daily until healing 7-10 days. Caution with sun exposure post operatively
Side Effects: Lesion will appear as healing with a crust for 7-10 days. Allow time for healing. Temporary hypopigmentation, hyperpigmentation (lightening or darkening of the skin), incomplete clearing, and infection slight chance of scarring if not treated. Treatment with a bleaching cream before and after laser treatment may help to reduce this side effect.
Realistic Expectations: A lightening or clearing of the darkened area. May expect incomplete clearing if lesion is deeper. One must experience patience with multiple treatments and side effects. Laser technology is not 100% in deeper pigmented lesions due to the intentional superficial penetration of pigmented lesion lasers. Birthmarks generally will require a test spot to determine best of three effective wavelengths to treat. |
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