The use of 308-nm excimer laser for dermatoses: experience with 34 patients

Targeted phototherapy has been utilized in the past few years for the treatment of various dermatoses. In this article, we summarize the experience of using 308-nm excimer laser at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, for the treatment of psoriasis, vitiligo, palmoplantar psoriasis, and hand dermatitis. A total of 34 patients were treated between January 2003 and February 2005. Of the 28 patients with psoriasis, over 80% had greater than 75% improvement after an average of 12 treatments. While the number of patients was small, excimer laser showed promising results for palmoplantar psoriasis. Possibly due to patient selection bias, we have not had the same success as other studies for the treatment of vitiligo with this modality.