A case of angiokeratoma treated with a 532 nm KTP (potassium-titanyl- phosphate) laser

Angiokeratomas are cutaneous vascular lesions that are characterized by dilated thin-walled blood vessels that lay in the upper part of the dermis, and this condition is mostly associated with epidermal reactions such as acanthosis, hyperkeratosis and elongation of rete ridges. Four variants have been described (angiokeratoma of Fordyce, angiokeratoma of Mibelli, angiokeratoma corporis diffusum, and solitary or multiple angiokeratomas). Among these variants, angiokeratoma of Fordyce develops mainly in elderly Caucasian men and it is common on the genitalia. Angiokeratomas are blue to purple, smooth, 2- to 5-mm papules on the scrotum, penile shaft or glans. They generally appear to multiply during life, but they occasionally present as single lesions. They may bleed after trauma and they may be mistaken for a nevus, melanoma or Kaposi sarcoma. Electrocautery or laser ablation can be offered for treatment. Various studies have recently reported successful treatment with argon laser, copper vapor laser, variable pulse width 532 nm neodymium:yttrium-aluminium-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser, 532 nm KTP (potassium-titanyl-phosphate) laser and flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser (PDL). We report here on a case of angiokeratoma that was treated with a 532nm KTP laser.