[Excimer laser. Treatment of iatrogenic hypopigmentation following skin resurfacing]

As skin resurfacing has become more common, the number of patients developing post-treatment hypopigmentation has increased. No effective treatment for this complication has been developed. Some hypopigmented disorders, including vitiligo, have been treated with the excimer laser. We used the XeCl excimer laser to successfully treat a 78-year-old woman with perioral leukoderma following CO(2) laser skin resurfacing. The repigmentation was stable for at least 16 months. Larger prospective studies of this new therapeutic intervention are recommended to evaluate its efficacy and long-term stability.