Treatment of facial lentigines in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome with an intense pulsed light source.

BACKGROUND: Peutz-Jeghers syndrome is a hereditary condition characterized by distinctive mucocutaneous lentigines and intestinal hamartomatous polyposis. The cutaneous lesions may be cosmetically disfiguring and frequently present a therapeutic challenge. OBJECTIVE: To determine if intense pulsed light (IPL) is effective in treating facial lentigines in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. METHODS: The IPL, utilizing a 590 nm cutoff filter, was used to treat facial lentigines in a 10-year-old girl with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. RESULTS: A series of 12 treatment sessions, each to different facial regions, resulted in complete clearance of lentigines in the treated areas. Most of the lentigines resolved after a single treatment, with a few areas requiring a second treatment. CONCLUSION: In this case, treatment with IPL resulted in dramatic improvement of cosmetically disfiguring lentigines. To our knowledge, this is the first report of using IPL in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.