Treatment of Nevus of Ota in Fitzpatrick skin type VI with the 1064‐nm QS Nd:YAG laser

Background Nevus of Ota is a pigmented lesion that usually presents at birth. Due to a greater risk for complications, physicians have not always utilized laser therapy to treat these nevi in patients with darker skin types. Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the 1,064‐nm Q‐switched neodymium‐doped yttrium aluminium garnet (QS Nd:YAG) laser for the treatment of Nevus of Ota in two patients with Fitzpatrick skin type (FST) VI. Results After 4–13 treatment sessions with the 1,064‐nm Q‐switched Nd:YAG laser with a 4 mm spot size and fluence of 4–4.2 J/cm2, two patients with FST VI noted substantial improvement in the appearance of the nevi. Conclusion At conservative treatment settings, these two case reports have shown that the 1,064‐nm QS Nd:YAG laser can be utilized to safely and effectively treat Nevus of Ota in individuals with FST IV–VI. Lasers Surg. Med. 42:65–67, 2011 © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.