Problems and prospects in the treatment of various forms of pigmented nevi in children (a literature review)

Abstract

Introduction. Pigmented nevi (PN) are formations in the skin layers which consist of accumulated melanocytes of various differentiation degrees and located in different layers of the skin. In modern society, this pathology causes serious medical and psychological problems; not infrequently , one can see unsatisfactory clinical and aesthetic outcomes. There is no any clear tactics which could take into account PN forms, location and child’s age. Purpose. To study modern problems and to outline prospects for treating various PN forms in children using the information obtained after literature search for the period 2005–2022. Material and methods. The authors made the literature search in domestic and foreign databases for the period 2005–2022. The following key words were used for the search: benign melanocytic skin lesions; pigmented nevus; laser radiation. 1627 literature sources were studied, 87 works were included in the review. Results. Despite of various techniques used for PN removal, unsatisfactory results are still noted in 41 % of patients with a complication rate of up to 50 %. After implementation laser scalpel for PN removal, complications in the form of hypertrophic and keloid scars were noted in 2–5 % of patients, postoperative hyperemia- in 21 % of cases, hyperpigmentation in 13 % and hypopigmentation in 34 %. The present review outlines advantages and disadvantages of various modalities used for removing PN. The authors also underline that the most promising ones are laser techniques in which laser light has a specific selectivity to pigmented tissues. The article has no information on parameters of laser irradiation which are required for treating definite forms of PN in children. Conclusion. Further research is needed to optimize existing and to develop new laser light techniques for treating various PN forms which should bring a significant improvement in outcomes.