The treatment of eruptive syringomas in an African American patient with a combination of trichloroacetic acid and CO2 laser destruction.
BACKGROUND
Eruptive syringomas are uncommon benign adnexal neoplasms. They are numerous and disseminated and often have a predilection for the neck, face, chest, and axillary fossae. Because they are persistent, usually numerous, and often on exposed sites, the lesions may be disfiguring and often pose significant cosmetic concerns for patients. Many treatment modalities such as dermabrasion, electrodesiccation with curettage, and scissors excision have been tried with some success, but more recently lasers have provided good to excellent results.


OBJECTIVE
To describe an approach to the treatment of eruptive syringomas in an African American patient with a combination of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and CO2 laser resurfacing, providing acceptable cosmetic results without significant side effects.


METHODS
We describe an African American patient with eruptive syringomas of the face treated with a combination of TCA and CO2 laser resurfacing with good results.


RESULTS
While the syringomas were not completely ablated, the combination of TCA and CO2 laser resurfacing provided acceptable cosmetic results without significant side effects.


CONCLUSIONS
The TCA pretreatment probably removed some of the bulk of the surface of the lesions, thereby reducing the number of laser passes required to flatten the remainder of the lesions and thus lessening the potential for thermal damage at the treated sites and of surrounding normal skin.
Frazier
C C
CC
Gold Coast Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery Center, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, USA.
Camacho
A P
AP
Cockerell
C J
CJ
D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002424:Caustics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D013544:Sweat Gland Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D018252:Syringoma / Q000628:therapy*; D014238:Trichloroacetic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D002424:Caustics; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D014238:Trichloroacetic Acid