PULSED LASER TREATMENT OF PIGMENTED LESIONS

CUTANEOUS PIGMENTED LESIONS ARE EXTREMELY COMMON IN DERMATOLOGY. ALTHOUGH THE MAJORITY OF THESE LESIONS ARE BENIGN, THE POSSIBILITY OF MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION IN ADDITION TO COSMETIC CONSIDERATIONS HAVE FREQUENTLY NECESSITATED THEIR THERAPEUTIC REMOVAL. THE LASER COULD BE APPROPRIATELY ADAPTED TO SELECTIVELY DESTROY ONLY PIGMENT CELLS WHILE MINIMIZING INJURY TO THE SURROUNDING STRUCTURE, THUS PROVIDING A LESS TRAUMATIC ALTERNATIVE WITH REDUCED SCARRING TO SURGICAL EXCISION OR DERMABRASION. CANDELA LASER CORPORATION AND BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE WILL CONDUCT IN VIVO STUDIES EMPLOYING PIGSKIN TO DETERMINE THE OPTIMUM LASER-OPERATING PARAMETERS OF WAVELENGTH, ENERGY DENSITY, AND PULSE DURATION FOR EFFECTIVETREATMENT OF PIGMENTED LESIONS. IT IS PLANNED TO DEVELOP A FLASHLAMP-EXCITED DYE LASER AND A SOLID-STATE LASER FOR THISSTUDY AND TO COMPARE THE MERITS OF EACH IN THE TREATMENT OF PIGMENTED LESIONS. IF SUCCESSFUL, CLINICAL TRIALS AND PROTOTYPE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT WILL BE UNDERTAKEN IN PHASE II.