title: Effectiveness of erbium:YAG laser and cryosurgery in seborrheic keratoses: Randomized, prospective intraindividual comparison study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Seborrheic keratoses (SK) are benign cutaneous lesions frequently seen in old age. The aim of the study is to compare the efficiency of Er:YAG lasers with cryotherapy in the treatment of SK.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was carried out on 42 patients with SK sized 0.5-3 cm, located on the back, chest, face and neck. Lesions with a similar size and location on the same patient were matched. In the same session, half of the lesions were treated with cryotherapy, while the other half were treated with Er:YAG lasers. All of the patients were clinically evaluated in two recalls with a one-month interval between appointments. The efficiency of the treatments was clinically evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Following the first treatment, complete healing was detected in all of the lesions (100%) treated with Er:YAG lasers, while the healing rate was 68% in the cryotherapy group (p < 0.01). In the Er:YAG laser-treated group, hyperpigmentation was significantly lower and more erythema developed than in the cryotherapy group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Er:YAG lasers offer a one-step procedure which is a very simple and economic treatment and provides an alternative treatment method with better cosmetic results compared to cryotherapy.
authors: a Dermatology Department , Istanbul Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey and.
authors: Mehmet Salih
authors: MS
authors: Gurel
authors: b Dermatology Department , Hisar Intercontinental Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors: Burcak Bozdemir
authors: BB
authors: Aral
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017679:Cryotherapy / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D004871:Erbium; D004890:Erythema / Q000209:etiology; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017495:Hyperpigmentation / Q000209:etiology; D017492:Keratosis, Seborrheic / Q000601:surgery*; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D004871:Erbium
keywords: Benign skin neoplasm; Er:YAG laser; cryosurgery; seborrheic keratose treatment