Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Following Laser-Induced Thermal Injury

In a recent issue of theArchives, Nunez et al 1 reported that telangiectatic erythema of cutaneous lupus erythematosus could be successfully treated with a flashlamp pulsed dye laser operating at 585 nm. In a patient with multiple facial telangiectasias without a previous diagnosis of lupus, we observed a case of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) seemingly induced after thermal injury by overly intense use of an argon laser attached to a computerized scanning device. Report of a Case. A 32-year-old woman with Fitzpatrick type III skin 2 presented for treatment of prominent nasal bridge telangiectasias. She had no significant medical history, photosensitivity, or chronic sun damage. An argon laser operating at 514 nm with a computerized scanning device was used. The input fluence from the argon source was 4.9 W with the power meter displaying 4.4 W. The selected fluence was 22 J/cm 2 (36 milliseconds per pulse) delivered in