Efficacy and Safety of Erbium-YAG Laser Ablation Therapy in Superficial Dermatoses: The Workhorse of Dermatology

Erbium-YAG laser has been the working horse in dermatology for years. Surprisingly, data on the efficacy and adverse effects of this novel resurfacing and ablative technique of erbium-YAG laser for superficial dermatoses in Indian skin is limited. To evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of erbium-YAG laser ablation in superficial cutaneous lesions. Two hundred and fifty patients of various superficial dermatoses, treatable by erbium-YAG laser, were recruited in the study. All the patients were subjected to erbium-YAG laser sessions. The number of laser sessions, fluence, frequency and other parameters were individualized as per the respective dermatosis. The clinical response was evaluated as grade 4 (100% lesion clearance), grade 3 (75-99%), grade 2 (50-75%) or grade 1 (