Treatment of Nevus of Ota in Fitzpatrick skin type VI with the 1064‐nm QS Nd:YAG laser

Abstract

Nevus of Ota is a pigmented lesion that usually presents at birth. Due to a greater risk for complications, physicians have not always utilized laser therapy to treat these nevi in patients with darker skin types. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the 1,064-nm Q-switched neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (QS Nd:YAG) laser for the treatment of Nevus of Ota in two patients with Fitzpatrick skin type (FST) VI. After 4-13 treatment sessions with the 1,064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with a 4 mm spot size and fluence of 4-4.2 J/cm(2), two patients with FST VI noted substantial improvement in the appearance of the nevi. At conservative treatment settings, these two case reports have shown that the 1,064-nm QS Nd:YAG laser can be utilized to safely and effectively treat Nevus of Ota in individuals with FST IV-VI.