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Lasers for Becker’s nevus

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Abstract

Becker’s nevus is a common pigmented dermatosis, usually featured by ipsilateral pigmented patch with hypertrichosis. Becker’s nevus is often treated with various types of lasers although other regimens are available. However, clinical outcomes appear inconsistent among studies. To summarize the clinical outcomes of Becker’s nevus treated with lasers via literature review. A variety of lasers had been used alone or in combination to treat Becker’s nevus. Laser wavelengths used for Becker’s nevus ranged from 504 to 10,600 nm, while the number of treatment varied from 1 to 12 sessions. The clinical outcomes were mixed although combination of lasers with different wavelengths appeared to achieve a better efficacy. Adverse effects were usually mild to moderate erythema. While lasers are relatively safe, their efficacy for Becker’s nevus is moderate. It seems that combination therapy could improve the outcome. However, trials in larger group of patients are required to validate the efficacy of each type of lasers for Becker’s nevus.

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Funding

This study was funded in part by NIH grants (AR061106), with resources from the Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aesthetic Department, Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510091, China

    Yi** Zhong, Bin Yang, Lining Huang & Mao-Qiang Man

  2. Dermatology Services, Department of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, 94121, USA

    Peter M. Elias & Mao-Qiang Man

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  1. Yi** Zhong
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  2. Bin Yang
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Correspondence to Mao-Qiang Man.

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Zhong, Y., Yang, B., Huang, L. et al. Lasers for Becker’s nevus. Lasers Med Sci 34, 1071–1079 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-019-02734-3

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