Argon laser-assisted treatment of benign eyelid lesions.

Abstract

We investigated the treatment of benign eyelid lesions with argon laser as an alternative therapy to surgical excision. The charts of 73 patients with 95 lesions treated with argon laser photocoagulation were reviewed retrospectively. In all patients, the procedure was performed for cosmetic reasons. The laser spot size ranged from 50 to 200 μm, the power varied from 300 to 700 mW, and the exposure time ranged between 0.1 and 0.2 s. The lesions were mostly located on the upper eyelid (66%); the lid margin was involved in 30 cases. The mean follow-up time was 7.2 ± 3.5 months (range 3-15 months). A histopathological diagnosis was confirmed for 81 lesions (85.3%). All patients were satisfied with the cosmetic result. No intraoperative complications occurred, and none of the patients complained of pain during laser application. All wounds epithelialized in 3-4 weeks with skin that appeared normal. Hypopigmentation of the treated areas were observed in three cases. No recurrence occurred during the follow-up period. Argon laser-assisted benign eyelid tumor excision is a useful, cheap, accessible, and well-tolerated alternative to traditional surgery.