Treatment of idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis with fractional carbon dioxide lasers.

Abstract Objective: Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis (IGH) is an acquired leukoderma found in all races. The treatment of choice is still controversial. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of CO2FL on IGH. Methods: A total of 240 patients with IGH were enrolled. The hypopigmented lesions were treated using a 10 600-nm carbon dioxide fractional laser (CO2FL). Two months after a single treatment, physicians' clinical assessments were performed and the patients' overall satisfaction was evaluated. Results: 240 patients (40 men and 200 women) were followed. The mean age of the patients was 54.32 ± 8.64 years. The mean duration of IGH was 2.64 ± 0.36 years. Two months after a single treatment session, 115 patients (47.9%) exhibited more than 75% clinical improvement. 100 patients (41.6%) achieved 51-75% clinical improvement, whereas 25 patients (10.3%) showed 25-50% clinical improvement. In addition, 95 of the 240 patients (39.6%) were very satisfied with their clinical outcomes, 102 (42.5%) were satisfied and 43 patients (17.9%) were slightly satisfied. Conclusion: CO2FL might be very effective without any considerable side effects for the treatment of IGH.