Background and Objective: REM syndrome (reticular erythematous mucinosis) i
s a benign but bothersome skin disease that common occurs in middle age and
among women. Local and systemic treatment measures are often associated wi
th a high rate of side effects and relapses are common. We evaluated the pu
lsed dye laser as an alternative method because of its good efficacy in vas
cular skin diseases.
Study Design/Materials and Methods: We treated two female patients with REM
syndrome using the pulsed dye laser.
Results: In both patients the erythematous skin changes were almost complet
ely removed after five and three laser sessions, respectively. Other than t
ransient hypopigmentation, no side effects occurred. In one case there is s
till no evidence of recurrence 6 years after a trial treatment was conducte
d. In the same patient, clinical success was histologically confirmed.
Conclusion: This is the first report on the successful treatment of REM syn
drome of two female patients with the pulsed dye laser. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss
, Inc.