Q-switched laser treatment of amiodarone pigmentation.

A number of drugs can cause cutaneous hyperpigmentation through a variety of mechanisms. The pigment is comprised of dermal deposits of the drug and its metabolites, often combined with melanin and hemosiderin. Minocycline and amiodarone are among the most common medications to cause skin-induced pigmentation. Affected individuals generally develop slate-gray pigmentation in affected sites. Treatment with various Q-switched lasers has been shown to be effective at removing drug-induced pigmentation. The author presents a man with amiodarone pigmentation of the face who responded to treatment with the Q-switched neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser.