Use of Er:YAG for the treatment of recalcitrant facial verruca plana.
BACKGROUND
Recalcitrant facial verruca plana (FVP) may persist for years and full remission is not always achieved with conventional therapies. The clinical success rates reported for different lasers are highly variable and only one study evaluated the Er:YAG laser for the treatment of FVP.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether Er:YAG is safe and effective for the treatment of recalcitrant FVP.


METHODS
Forty-six patients with recalcitrant FVP were treated by Er:YAG at four-week intervals. The patients' clinical response, adverse effects such as scarring and pigment change, recurrence and patient satisfaction were assessed. Patients were clinically evaluated after each session over a six-month follow-up.


RESULTS
A total of 550 lesions of 46 participants were treated with 1-3 passes. The patients received 1-4 laser sessions with one session on average. Thirty-two patients (62.5%) achieved a complete response with 458 lesions (83.3%) being completely and 30 (5.5%) being partially healed. The post-treatment side effects were post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and mild scar formation. FVP recurred in 12 patients (26.0%). Twenty-six patients (56.5%) were completely satisfied and nine (19.5%) were mostly satisfied with the treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Er:YAG laser is a good treatment option in patients with recalcitrant FVP, particularly for cosmetically sensitive areas.
a School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology , Istanbul Medipol University , Istanbul , Turkey.
Ali
A
Balevi
a School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology , Istanbul Medipol University , Istanbul , Turkey.
Pelin
P
Üstüner
a School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology , Istanbul Medipol University , Istanbul , Turkey.
Mustafa
M
Özdemir
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000209:etiology; D005145:Face / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017495:Hyperpigmentation / Q000209:etiology; D053685:Laser Therapy; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014860:Warts / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult
Erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet lasers; lasers; verruca