Pulsed dye laser therapy for molluscum contagiosum: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND

Molluscum contagiosum (MC) is a benign contagious viral skin infection that typically resolves without treatment within months. For cases where treatment is recommended or requested, a number of options are available. Over the last 2 decades, a number of case reports and case series have described cases of MC lesions that were successfully treated with pulsed dye laser (PDL); however, a review of these studies has not been reported in the dermatologic literature.

OBJECTIVES

To review the use of PDL for the treatment of MC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A search of the National Library of Medicine's PubMed Database and the SCOPUS Database was performed to find articles that detailed the treatment of MC with PDL.

RESULTS

Eight articles met criteria for inclusion in this review. These articles represented 161 patients with over 4200 MC lesions that were treated with PDL. Each article was reviewed and summarized in a table.

LIMITATIONS

The main limitation of this review is the small number of published studies, which reflects the importance of this review of the dermatology literature.

CONCLUSIONS

PDL offers a novel and effective treatment for MC. However, the articles reviewed herein suggest PDL is a safe, effective, quick and well-tolerated treatment for clearing MC lesions that does not cause scarring or permanent pigment change.