Treatment of acquired bilateral nevus of Ota-like macules (Hori's nevus) using 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with low fluence.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Acquired bilateral nevus of Ota-like macules (ABNOM), or Hori's nevus, is a common dermal melanocytic hyperpigmentation in Asians.

AIM: To describe the effect of 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (QSNY) with low fluence in South Korean patients with ABNOM.

METHODS: Fifteen South Korean patients (13 women and two men; mean age, 33.2 years; range, 26-52 years; Fitzpatrick skin type IV), clinically diagnosed with ABNOM, and treated using 1064-nm QSNY with low fluence, were enrolled in this study. Patients were treated with 1064-nm QSNY using a MedLite C6 (HoyaConBio Inc., Fremont, CA, USA) at 1-2-week intervals. The laser settings were 2.2-2.6 J/cm(2) using a 6-mm spot size, followed by 4-6 J/cm(2) using a 4-mm spot size.

RESULTS: The median number of QSNY treatment sessions was 11 (range, 10-15). Follow-up results 2 months after the final treatment revealed that seven of the 15 patients (46.7%) demonstrated clinical improvement of 76-100%, and five (33.3%) of 51-75%. Three patients showed moderate clinical improvement between 26% and 50%. Post-therapy dyschromia, including hypo- and hyperpigmentation, was not observed.

CONCLUSION: We suggest that QSNY with low fluence provides an easy-to-perform, low-downtime, effective treatment algorithm in certain cases of ABNOM in Asian patients.