Background
Lichen aureus (LA) is a variant of pigmented purpuric dermatosis (PPDs) that typically presents with the acute onset of a solitary, unilateral, purple to rust‐yellow colored lichenoid patch or plaque on lower extremities. Treatment remains challenging and is based on anecdotal case reports often with poor results.
Aims
Describe a case of LA successfully treated with 595 nm wavelength pulsed‐dye laser (PDL).
Patient/method
A 46‐year‐old woman with segmental LA was treated using a 595 nm PDL at a uniform spot size of 10 mm, with pulse durations of 10 milliseconds and fluence of 6 J/cm2. The patient had received previous treatments with no improvement.
Results
Clearance was archived after three sessions with PDL. Sessions were performed at intervals of 4 weeks, with no serious adverse events nor recurrence.
Conclusion
We hypothesize the favorable clinical outcome with PDL is due to the affinity of the wavelength for oxyhemoglobin (allowing uniform vessel penetration and energy delivery to fragile capillaries and intraluminal blood) and to its anti‐inflammatory profile. PDL seems to be an alternative for patients with progressive LA that have failed other therapies.
A 34-year-old Hispanic woman presented to our clinic with a 2-week history of facial tattoo with the aim of recreating the appearance of "freckles" on her face. The patient was distressed and mentioned negative impacts on personal and professional relationships. At examination, multiple small, hyperpigmented, brownish macules were noted concordant with polychromatic professional facial tattoo with the presence of a moderate amount of reddish-brown ink ( Figure 1). Therefore, triple-wavelength picosecond laser in combination with fractionated laser seems to be a safe and effective therapeutic approach in a dark-skinned patient with a tattoo localized in a cosmetically relevant area.
FUNDING INFORMATIONThis study has no funding source. The authors are responsible for the accuracy of the information presented.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.