Is the laser treatment for PIH the same as for mole removal?
Thank you for your question. Lasers used for PIH and mole removal are usually different, but because there is an assortment of lasers in the market, they can sometimes have similar properties. Even so, these similar lasers are applied differently in treating PIH and mole removal.
Post-inflammatory pigmentation (PIH) appear as brown spots or patches on your skin, and is due to an overproduction of brown pigment (melanin) in your skin in response to irritation or skin injury. While the majority of PIH are temporary, they can take several months up to a few years to resolve.
Treatment options for PIH
Treatment options for lightening PIH include prescribing medical-grade lightening creams, chemical peels, and laser therapy. Gentle lasers ranging from picosecond to long-pulsed options can be used for PIH. Some lightening can be seen from the first treatment session, and more sessions will be needed for optimal clearance, depending on your skin type, when your PIH developed, as well as the severity of it. Such non-ablative lasers typically have minimal downtime, and they work by selectively targeting and breaking down melanin-related structures in the skin. Temporary side effects such as redness and discomfort might be present for a few days before resolving.
Moles are typically present at birth, but many also develop later in life. They vary in colour, depth, and can appear flat or raised. Before removal, please check with your doctor as some moles may contain irregular features, requiring a biopsy to rule out serious conditions like skin cancer. Moles can be removed by a laser, surgical excision or punch excision. Flat or slightly raised small moles that do not extend deep into the skin are suitable for laser removal, while surgical or punch excision is normally recommended for larger, very raised, and deep moles.
When moles are removed via laser, there is a possibility it might grow back within the next several months to several years, whereas recurrence is rare in surgical or punch excision mole removal. The standard laser removal treatment for moles uses ablative lasers like CO2 or Erbium YAG to remove and flatten moles, and this can be completed in a session. It is a comfortable procedure after skin numbing has taken effect. However, like any treatment that breaches the skin layer, you might experience a short downtime together with a small risk of scarring, infection, as well as skin darkening or lightening.
A new method of removing moles
There is another exciting new method of mole removal using lasers that seldom results in scars. Here, certain lasers of varying pulse durations are able to target and break down flat or raised pigmented moles in as few as 1 session, with minimal risk of any scarring or downtime. This results in improved cosmetic appearance without the use of strong lasers. Using this scarless method, a scab will form and fall off in a week, and additional sessions over the next few months can be performed if there are residual pigments.
All things considered, it will be good to consult and be assessed by your physician. What may appear as PIH or moles can also include other pigmentary conditions that may benefit from a combination of treatment modalities prescribed by your doctor. I hope this explanation helps!
