Treatment of cutaneous lesions of xanthoma disseminatum with a CO2 laser

We describe a case of a 15-year-old African American girl with widespread papulonodular lesions of xanthoma disseminatum especially in the periorbital area and on the flexural surfaces of the neck, axillae, arms, and legs. There were no mucosal lesions. An initial trial in the distant past of liquid nitrogen cryotherapy resulted in partial shrinking of cutaneous lesions but was too painful for the patient. She then underwent surgical excision of bilateral eyelid lesions with improvement, but additional procedures were deemed impractical when considering the great number and size of the lesions. Consequently we treated the patient with a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser with excellent results. The relatively great speed at which the CO2 laser procedure can be performed has made the removal of multiple lesions in each session possible. Additional advantages included precise vaporization of lesions, hemostasis during the operative procedure, and minimal postoperative pain and edema.