Lasers for Medical Dermatology Indications

Based on their modes of action, lasers may be used to treat a variety of medical dermatological conditions. This can be as single modality, in combination or to augment other existing modalities. These medical dermatological conditions range from benign lesions (e.g. keloid scars and xanthelasma), premalignant lesions (e.g. actinic keratoses), inflammatory dermatoses (e.g. rhinophyma, hidradenitis suppurativa) and infections (e.g. viral warts, onychomycosis) to skin malignancies (e.g. squamous cell carcinoma in situ, basal cell carcinoma). This chapter discusses the main types of dermatological lasers in relation to their use in medical dermatology.