What are pigmented skin lesions or senile lentigines?
Part of the skin aging process manifests itself with the appearance of pigmented skin lesions called senile lentigines (SL). Senile lentigines are irregularly shaped hyperpigmented macules that can appear on any region of the skin surface.
They predominate in photoexposed areas (face, hands and forearms). They affect men and women equally, more frequently after the age of 50.
Can pigmented lesions be treated with laser?
Q-switched (Q-switched, QS) lasers allow precise, fast and effective treatment of pigmented skin lesions, with few side effects. There are different lasers useful for the treatment of senile lentigines, we have experience with the alexandrite QS laser.
Compared to conventional treatment with cryotherapy or trichloroacetic acid peels, the alexandrite QS laser offers more efficacy and fewer side effects in the treatment of pigmented skin lesions.
The QS alexandrite laser produces 50-100 ns pulses at 755 nm (red light). It is effective for the treatment of epidermal, shallow dermal pigmented lesions and blue, black, green, brown and violet tattoos. According to the theory of selective photothermolysis, there is a specific destruction of subcellular organelles, such as melanosomes and tattoo particles, by photoacoustic (fragmentation) and photothermal effect.
Results before and after laser treatment of pigmented lesions or senile lentigines on the hands of a patient.
The disappearance of the spots is clearly evident.
Are there any side effects of the treatment?
The side effects of the treatment of pigmented skin lesions are: immediate itching (disappears within a few minutes), transient edema (especially if the eyelid region is treated), appearance of brownish or purplish macules that disappear after about 7-10 days and residual erythema that disappears in 4-6 weeks. Rarely, post-inflammatory hyper- or hypopigmentation may appear, usually in tanned people and/or with phototypes III and IV.
The risk of post-inflammatory hypopigmentation is lower with the alexandrite QS laser than with other types of lasers, such as the ruby QS. It is more difficult to treat than hyperpigmentation and may be permanent. The development of a secondary infection is exceptional, however, once the treatment is completed, the use of a topical antibiotic cream is recommended.
Occasionally, when the LS is very dark, treatment should be repeated after 1 month to obtain an optimal result. Special care should be taken in tanned patients; whenever possible an initial test should be performed and a topical depigmenting cream should be used prior to treatment.
Results before and after laser treatment of pigmented lesions or senile lentigines on a patient’s face. The disappearance of the spots is clearly evident.
Thus, the QS alexandrite laser is an effective treatment for LS and tattoo removal. It is a safe treatment and its permanent side effects are rare.