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Updated: May 27, 2026

Using a 1064-nm Picosecond Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Laser for Periorbital Hyperpigmentation
Published on: May 23, 2025
Q-switched laser treatment of amiodarone pigmentation
1Main Line Center for Laser Surgery, 32 Parking Plaza, Ardmore, PA 19003, USA. dermguy@dermguy.com
Abstract:
A number of drugs can cause cutaneous hyperpigmentation through a variety of mechanisms. The pigment is comprised of dermal deposits of the drug and its metabolites, often combined with melanin and hemosiderin. Minocycline and amiodarone are among the most common medications to cause skin-induced pigmentation. Affected individuals generally develop slate-gray pigmentation in affected sites. Treatment with various Q-switched lasers has been shown to be effective at removing drug-induced pigmentation. The author presents a man with amiodarone pigmentation of the face who responded to treatment with the Q-switched neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser.
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