Efficacy of 308-nm Monochromatic Excimer Light in the Management of Halo Nevi: An Open-Label, Pilot Study

INTRODUCTION: Halo nevus (HN) affects approximately 1% of the population. Presence of hypo- or depigmented lesion carries tremendous psychosocial disturbance in the mind-set of population in the Indian subcontinent. Hence, HN requires intervention by any modalities. Here authors attempted to evaluate the efficacy of monochromatic excimer light (MEL) in treating HN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 29 patients with HN were included in the study. A xenon chloride lamp emitting noncoherent, monochromatic 308-nm light that represents the natural evolution of the excimer laser was used. The initial dose was 100 mJ/cm(2), which was increased by 100 mJ/cm(2) per session. All the patients were followed up for 6 months. RESULTS: A total of 29 patients with 10 males and 19 females (male to female ratio of 1:1.9) completed the study. The age of onset of HN ranged from 5 to 47 years and the mean age of the patients was 23 years. HN was seen on the face, back, neck, chest, trunk, and extremities in 5 (17.2%), 6 (20.7%), 4 (13.7%), and 6 (20.7%) patients, respectively. Outstanding response was noticed in 14 patients (48.2%), whereas 6 (20.6%) patients showed excellent improvement. Only 2 (6.8%) patients showed no response after 10 consecutive sessions. CONCLUSION: HN causes apprehension in the Indian population because of the social stigma associated with depigmented patches on the body. Mere observation and only counseling in the treatment protocol are not sufficient. MEL is a noninvasive procedure, which results in excellent repigmentation of HN without scarring.