Extended clinical use of the argon laser for cutaneous lesions.

A safe, easy, and effective outpatient modality for the treatment of various cutaneous lesions such as hemangiomas and decorative tattoos has long been sought. The argon laser has proved satisfactory for such treatment of port-wine hemangiomas, capillary/cavernous hemangiomas, telangiectasia, and decorative tattoos as well as a variety of cutaneous pigmented lesions. The intense laser light is attracted and absorbed by pigmented skin lesions producing heat that selectively destroys the intradermal pathologic condition and spares overlying skin. Hemangiomas and tattoos have undergone satisfactory subtotal blanching in the majority of cases with a low incidence of hypertrophic scarring. Thus, the argon laser has proved useful in the outpatient treatment of a variety of pigmented cutaneous lesions.