308-nm excimer laser: a hopeful and optional therapy for pityriasis versicolor

Abstract

Background Pityriasis Versicolor (PV) is known as a superficial fungal infection. It is suggested that resistant strains to azoles may be developed and hence, the treatment would be difficult. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of excimer laser (308 nm) as an alternative therapy for PV. Materials and methods This is a prospective intra-patient left-to-right, randomized, placebo-controlled study conducted on 26 patients with bilateral lesions which are not responding to the PV standard treatment. Patients were randomly assigned to right or left-side therapy for a duration of 8 weeks with either excimer laser (308 nm three times weekly) or topical placebo. Clinical assessment and mycological evaluation were performed before the initiation of treatment and at the fourth and eighth week of therapy. Results A decrease in the mean clinical score of cases was recorded from 7.1 at the baseline evaluation to 1.56 after 4 weeks and to 1.96 after 8 weeks of treatment. At week 4, there was a statistically significant reduction in the clinical scores compared with pretreatment scores and with the placebo group (p < .001). Conclusion 308-nm excimer laser can be considered as a hopeful and optional therapy for PV.