Jung Ah Min: Low Fluence 1064nm Q‐switched Nd:YAG Therapy for Cafe‐au‐lait Macules (CALMs)
Café-au-lait macules (CALMs) are common hyperpigmented lesions that may occur on any part of body at birth or in infancy. CALMs are a benign disorder, but one that may cause cosmetic concern. Until now a variety of laser modalities have been used to treat CALMs; their efficacies vary and side effects such as postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), scars and dyspigmentation may develop. We treated more than 5 hundred cases over 6 years with 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (Fotona-Qx MAX). The lesions were treated with 20-50 sessions (at one-week interval) with a spot size of 7 mm, a fluence of 2.2 J/cm2 and a pulse rate of 10 Hz, using a slow “sliding & stacking” technique in a single-pass. The patients were treated for 6-18 months and observed for 6-24 months after the final session. The treatment results showed a high clearance rate without side effects and recurrence. Therefore, low-fluence 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser therapy can be considered an effective modality for treating CALMs.