Successful treatment of ulerythema ophryogenes with pulsed dye laser: a case report

Abstract

Background: Ulerythema ophryogenes (UO) is a rare cutaneous disorder characterized by inflammatory keratotic papules that primarily affect the face. This clinical case may enrich and provide an interesting literature overview on the laser therapy for UO, which represents a rare skin illness difficult to treat.

Case description: A 25-year-old female patient having an UO family history and who presented a progressive erythema and confluent horny follicular erythematous papules with areas of alopecia around the lateral third of eyebrows without signs of pitted or atrophic scars, which has been evident since childhood, underwent to a single session of dye laser. She was complaining of discomfort in the involved skin areas. The patient had not been taking any medications prior to laser therapy. The use of anaesthetic was avoided. After only one therapy session of dye laser the result was clinically optimal. A visible reduction in roughness and a partial hair regrowth in the treated area were observed at 2 months follow-up after treatment. The horn plugs were no longer evident, and the erythema had subsided. The hairs had become thicker, darker, and more numerous, covering most of the underlying dermatitis. Following the laser procedure, the patient didn't experience complications or severe adverse reactions.

Conclusions: Pulsed dye laser treatment appears to be a safe and effective treatment for the erythema and alopecia symptoms associated with this refractory condition.

Keywords: Ulerythema ophryogenes (UO); case report; pulsed dye laser (PDL).

Figure 1

Timeline of clinical case history. UO, ulerythema ophryogenes.

Figure 2

Clinical images of the female patient presenting erythema and areas of alopecia in the outer parts of her eyebrows. Pictures were acquired before [(A) frontal view; (C) left lateral view; (E) right lateral view] and at 2 months follow-up after the laser treatment session [(B) frontal view; (D) left lateral view; (F) right lateral view]. The images are published with the patient’s consent.