The neodymium:yttrium-aluminium-garnet(Nd:YAG) laser is one of the most ver
satile and interesting lasers in dermatological laser medicine. Almost no o
ther laser has such a wide spectrum of applications. Depending on wave leng
th (1064 nm, frequency-doubled 532 nm) and mode (continuous, Q-switched, lo
ngpulsed), benign pigmented lesions (tattoos, traumatic tattoos, naevus of
Ota, cafe-aut-lait-macules, lentigines) and vascular lesions (hemangiomas,
portwine stains, essential teleangiectasias, angiomas) can be treated. Addi
tionally this laser has been occasionally used to remove Kaposi sarcomas an
d epithelial skin tumors.