Treatment of poikiloderma of Civatte on the neck with an intense pulsed light source

Effective treatment of poikiloderma of Civatte is difficult. The ideal treatment combines elimination of both the vascular and pigmented components simultaneously. Treatment with a broad-spectrum noncoherent intense pulsed light source delivers multiple wavelengths with software-controlled pulse durations and sequencing that permit treatment of both vascular and pigmented lesions simultaneously. The objective of this study was to determine the response and side effects of treating this condition with intense pulsed light. In the study, 66 patients with typical changes of poikiloderma of Civatte on the neck were treated with intense pulsed light at various settings every 4 weeks until the desired improvement occurred. A 50 to 75 percent improvement in the extent of telangiectasias and hyperpigmentation was observed after an average of 2.8 treatments. The incidence of hypopigmentation was 5 percent. It was concluded that intense pulsed light is an effective mode of therapy for poikiloderma of Civatte. It seems to offer a reduction in both pigmentation and telangiectasia-associated erythema, with minimal side effects.