Laser treatment of female genital dermatoses: a narrative review

Lasers offer targeted treatment for pathological tissue while minimizing harm to surrounding healthy areas, making them effective modalities for various female genital dermatoses. Different laser types, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), neodymium (Nd) : yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) lasers, pulsed-dye laser (PDL) and erbium (Er) : YAG lasers, can successfully address conditions such as Bartholin cysts, vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia and angiokeratomas. This narrative review assesses the existing evidence for laser treatments for various female genital dermatoses, focusing on treatment protocols, effectiveness data and safety considerations. Although the role of CO2 lasers is well established in treating cystic lesions and hyperkeratotic conditions, and PDL is recognized for vascular issues, much of the existing evidence comes from case reports, small case series and retrospective studies, with few high-quality randomized controlled trials available. Although treatment outcomes for many conditions appear promising, there is a need for standardized protocols and thorough comparative studies to determine the ideal treatment parameters and long-term effectiveness.