Systematic review of laser therapy in xanthelasma palpebrarum

Xanthelasma palpebrarum is a benign periorbital xanthoma with substantial cosmetic and psychosocial burden for patients. Treatment modalities should be considered based on efficacy as well as cosmetic outcome. Laser modalities in the treatment of xanthelasma palpebrarum have not been comprehensively reviewed and discussed. Accordingly, this study seeks to systematically and critically review the available literature discussing laser treatment of xanthelasma palpebrarum. PubMed was systematically reviewed for reports on laser therapy in the treatment of xanthelasma palpebrarum. A total of 21 studies were included in this review discussing laser treatment of xanthelasma palpebrarum. Laser types included carbon dioxide, yttrium aluminum garnet, pulsed dye, argon, and a 1450 nm diode laser. The carbon dioxide laser was the most commonly reported modality followed by yttrium aluminum garnet laser. All of the laser modalities offered moderate to excellent clearance rates with minimal side effect profiles. Further large scale studies comparing different laser modalities are required to determine the best laser modality. However, laser modalities as a whole offer a treatment option for xanthelasma palpebrarum, that is, cosmetically excellent with a reasonable side-effect profile.