The treatment of infantile giant café au lait spot using golden parameter therapy with a high fluence 1064-nm Q-switched Nd: YAG laser

Abstract

Background Infantile café au lait spot is a brown macule with various sizes (diameter: 0.5 cm–30 cm). Infantile giant café au lait spot (IGCALS) is a huge (diameter >20cm) irregular-shaped benign hyperpigmented skin disorder that arises in infants. There has been no clearly established laser treatment consensus for the treatment of IGCALS because infants are too fragile to receive laser treatment with long hours and broad areas along with the possibility of undesirable cosmetic results. Objectives This study investigated the safety and efficacy of Golden Parameter Therapy (GPT) using a high fluence 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (QSNL) for IGCALS treatment. Methods This study included 24 Korean patients with IGCALS. Twenty-one patients who were treated with a 1064-nm QSNL weekly for 30–50 treatment sessions with GPT. The parameters included a spot size of 7 mm, a fluence of 2.2 J/cm2 and a pulse rate of 10 Hz with one pass using a sliding-stacking technique over the IGCALS. In control group, three patients were treated with a 532-nm picosecond laser monthly for three treatment sessions with a spot size of 3 mm, a fluence of 1 J/cm2 and a pulse rate of 2 Hz. Results After the last treatment, 21 patients with IGCALS reached the complete removal of pigmented lesions, which can be considered optimal cosmetic results without any side effects such as purpura, crust, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, iatrogenic punctate leukoderma, and scarring. There are no recurrences in any patients after 6–21 months’ follow-up, but treatment failure occurred in three patients who were treated with 532 nm picosecond laser. Conclusions Convincingly, we argue that early intervention before 12 months of age with GPT using a high fluence 1064 nm QSNL is a safe, applicable and effective treatment for IGCALS, minimizing side effects without any recurrences.