Our experience of carbon dioxide laser ablation of angiofibromas: Case series and literature review.

Angiofibromas are one of the dermatological hallmarks of tuberous sclerosis. Various ablative treatments have been trialled and more recently topical rapamycin has been proposed. We present our experience of treatment of angiofibromas using carbon dioxide (CO2) laser ablation and provide a timely literature review. Nine patients were retrospectively identified as being treated with CO2 laser between 2009 and 2015. Three patients were male, six were female, median age at first treatment was 28 (range 15-49) years and the median number of treatments was two (range 1-17). Four of these patients could be contacted for a post-treatment telephone interview. All reported an improvement in appearance of angiofibromas following treatment and that they would recommend CO2 laser ablation to others. Three of the four reported recurrence of some lesions following treatment. The only side effect reported by one patient was transient hyperpigmentation. CO2 laser ablation appears to be a well-tolerated, efficacious treatment for angiofibromas with few long-term side effects.