Efficiency of ablative fractional Er: YAG (Erbium: Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet) laser in the treatment of benign epidermal and dermal skin lesions: A retrospective study

Background and Design: Er: YAG lasers are precise ablation systems used in the treatment benign epidermal and dermal skin lesions. In this study, we retrospectively analysed the efficiency of Er: YAG laser therapy in the treatment of benign epidermal and dermal skin lesions. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively investigated the medical records of 116 patients treated with Er: YAG laser in our clinic between April 2011 and April 2013. The clinical data of 103 patients (47 men, 56 women) with xanthelasma, solar lentigo, epidermal nevus, seborrheic keratosis, nevus of ota, syringoma, cafe au lait macules (CALM) or other than these were included in the study. Treatment parameters, demographic features of the patients, and before and after photos of the lesions were investigated from patients' records in order to evaluate the efficiency of Er: YAG laser therapy. Results: The patients included in the study were evaluated in 8 groups: xanthelasma (n=21), syringoma (n=17), solar lentigo (n=16), epidermal nevus (n=11), seborrheic keratosis (n=9), nevus of ota (n=5), CALM (n=3) and other than these (n=21). In the Er: YAG laser treatment, the average energy flow was 3-7 J/cm(2), the average pulse duration was 300 ms, the average number of passes was 3-5 repeats, and the average pulse frequency was 3-7 Hz. While no improvement was observed in 4.9% of patients, 59.2% of subjects showed marked improvement, 26.2% showed moderate and 9.7% of patients showed mild improvement. Treatment responses in xanthelasma, syringoma, epidermal nevus, solar lentigo and CALM lesions were statistically significant. The observed side effects were hyperpigmentation in 4 patients, hypopigmentation in 3 Patients, hypertrophic scar in 2 patients and persistent erythema in one patient. The treatment was well tolerated by all the subjects. Conclusion: Er: YAG laser is an effective and safe treatment option in the treatment of benign skin lesions especially in epidermal lesions.