Laser treatment of epidermal nevi: A multicenter retrospective study with long-term follow-up

Abstract

Background: Patients with epidermal nevi strongly demand cosmetic improvement. Laser treatment appears appealing and is frequently used in clinical practice. Nevertheless, large series with long-term follow-up are missing, preventing definitive conclusions about its real benefit. Objective: To evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of lasers for epidermal nevi. Methods: Bicentric, retrospective, cohort study, including all patients treated with a laser for an epidermal nevus with more than a 1-year follow-up. Results: Seventy patients were treated for different types of epidermal nevi, mostly with ablative lasers: 23 verrucous epidermal nevi, 16 nevi sebaceous, 26 Becker nevi, 2 inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal nevi, 1 smooth-muscle hamartoma, 1 rounded and velvety epidermal nevus, and 1 nevus lipomatosus superficialis. The follow-up period was a median of 37 months (range, 12-127 months). Better results, fewer recurrences, and higher patient satisfaction were noted in treatments for verrucous epidermal nevi than for nevi sebaceous. Q-switched lasers failed to show any degree of improvement in almost all patients with Becker nevus. Limitations: The retrospective nature of the study. Conclusions: Ablative lasers can treat verrucous epidermal nevi with good long-term esthetic results but have limited long-term efficacy for nevus sebaceous. Q-switched lasers failed to improve Becker nevi.