ABSTRACT
Skin laser surgery for Asians is different from that for Caucasians in several important characteristics. Asian skin is often more pigmented than Caucasian skin, resulting in interference by epidermal melanin when using lasers to treat dermal lesions. Consequently, adverse pigmentary reactions, especially postinfl ammatory hyperpigmentation, are more likely to develop following laser surgery (5,6). Another important issue is the differences in the biological behavior of melanocytes among patients from different genetic backgrounds. A controversial deleterious effect of laser exposure is malignant transformation. Unlike the Caucasian population, melanoma is uncommon among Asians, and differences in skin types are uncertain to be the main explanation. Therefore, the risk of using laser for the removal of nevomelanocytic lesions in Asians differs from that in Caucasians.
