Pulsed infrared laser treatment of psoriasis

摘要

A method for treating psoriasis with pulsed infrared laser illumination. A pulsed infrared diode laser having a wavelength of 800 nm and a pulse duration in the millisecond range selectively destroys abnormal blood vessels beneath psoriatic plaques at depths of up to one millimeter. Areas of approximately 0.5 cm2 are sequentially treated. Uniform illumination intensity at a wide range of penetration depths allows selective destruction of the blood vessels without damage to the surrounding tissue, causing the psoriatic lesions to heal. The method may be applied more generally to the treatment of other dermal vascular malformations.