Advances in Lasers for Skin of Color

The popularity of cutaneous laser surgery has soared; however, the use of lasers in patients with skin of color has been quite challenging. The main obstacle with cutaneous laser surgery in darker-skinned patients is epidermal melanin absorption of laser energy. The absorption spectrum of melanin ranges from 320 to 1200 nm, with the greatest absorption observed in the lower end of this spectrum. The main objective in treating patients with skin of color is to avoid epidermal melanin absorption of laser energy and resultant thermal injury. Laser surgery in darker-skinned patients must be approached carefully to avoid this unwanted adverse effect of postinflammatory pigment alteration. In this article, we will review the advances in lasers for skin of color.