Long-term outcomes of laser treatment for congenital melanocytic nevi.

BACKGROUND: Although various laser treatments have been tried for congenital melanocytic nevi (CMNs), only small retrospective studies with short-term follow-up had been done to assess outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the long-term outcomes of laser treatment for CMN and compared these outcomes with those of a combination treatment including partial excision and lasers.

METHODS: Patients with CMN treated with lasers were retrospectively reviewed, and patients with >3 years of follow-up were grouped as the long-term follow-up group.

RESULTS: A total of 67 cases of CMN were reviewed. Among 20 patients (20/52, 38.5%) with near total clearance during laser-only treatment, 11 patients were in the long-term follow-up group, and 5 of 11 showed repigmentation. In total, 15 patients showed repigmentation regardless of clearance, and the mean period until repigmentation was 3.93 years from the initial treatment. Patients with partial excision and laser combination treatment showed higher Investigator's Global Assessment scores, fewer laser treatments, and shorter treatment periods compared with patients with laser-only treatment.

LIMITATIONS: This is a retrospective study, and various laser devices were used.

CONCLUSION: More than 4 years of follow-up is required to evaluate the efficacy of lasers in CMN, and partial excision and laser combination treatment might be an effective treatment option.