Treating pigmented lesions of the skin, especially deep dermal pigmentations, are difficult to achieve satisfactory results without complications. To treat dermal pigmentations, such as
nevus of Ota and congenital
nevus, the combined
therapy of a resurfacing
laser (CO2) and a selective photothermolytic
laser (the Q-Switched
Ruby Laser [QSRL]) was tried, and the results were compared with those treated with the QSRL alone. Combined
laser therapy has been performed in 47 patients with
nevus of Ota since 1995. The mean treatment period was 6 months and the mean number of treatment was five. Of 47 patients, 46 (98%) showed excellent results. To treat congenital
nevus, combined
laser therapy was used in 15 patients, and 12 (80%) showed good to excellent results. By combining resurfacing and selective
lasers, the treatment period has been reduced by 2 to 3 months, and the number of treatments has been reduced two- to threefold. Furthermore, treatment of congenital
nevus has become possible, which was not the case with the QSRL alone. The
Er:YAG laser can be used for resurfacing instead of the
CO2 laser because it causes less thermal damage and faster wound healing.