Are lasers effective in the treatment of melasma (chloasma, pregnancy mask) ? (For Professionals)

• Other articles deal with this issue however we can say here that lasers play a limited role:

1. They are only indicated in the treatment of dermal melasma (chloasma, pregnancy mask).
2. Even in this indication, the response is unpredictable* and the pigmentation tends to recur.

• Response to treatment has been reported for the following lasers (non-exhaustive list):

1. fractional photothermolysis
2. fractional erbium
3. QS (Q-Switched) fractional
4. IPL (Intense Pulsed Light)

Contributors:

Dr Christophe HSU – dermatologist. Geneva, Switzerland

Source of Information: 2012 (09) – Sachdev M. .21st Annual Congress of the EADV (European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology) – Prague (Praha), Czech Republic (česká republika)