1064 nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser for the treatment of Argyria: a systematic review.

Argyria is a benign skin disease characterized by blue to slate-grey discoloration that is caused by deposition of silver granules in the skin and/or mucus membranes as a result of long-term ingestion of ionized silver solutions or exposure to airborne silver particles. The skin discoloration can be generalized or localized and is exacerbated by sunlight. The skin discoloration is usually permanent, and until recently, there has been no effective treatment for argyria. Over the past 6 years, a number of case reports and one case series have described cases of argyria that were successfully treated with a 1064 nm Q-switched (QS) neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd:YAG) laser; however, a review of these studies has never been reported in the dermatologic literature. To review the use of the 1064 nm QS Nd:YAG laser for the treatment of argyria. 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 argyria with 1064 nm QS Nd:YAG laser. Six articles were selected for inclusion in this review. Each article was reviewed and summarized in a table. A 1064 nm QS Nd:YAG laser offers a novel and effective treatment for argyria. A systematic review of the dermatologic literature revealed a limited number of case reports and case series using this treatment. However, the results gleaned by the authors from the literature review provide important information to the clinician. For patients with argyria, a single pass of the 1064 nm QS Nd:YAG laser offers immediate, effective and sustained pigment clearing without any long-term adverse effects.