Abstract

Background/Objectives: Background Malignant melanoma is a skin malignancy originating from melanocyte cells that are responsible for skin color. Treatment options for melanoma are wide excision surgery with tumor-free margin, systemic therapy with chemotherapeutic agents, and radiotherapy. The development of laser therapy for cosmetic and medical procedures related to skin malignancies has increased significantly over the last decade. The use of laser therapy for pigmented lesions is still controversial because can delay the diagnosis of melanoma and increase the risk of death. Methods A non systematic literature review was conducted to answer the following three research questions: 1) The Usage of Laser Therapy in Melanoma, 2) The Effects of Using Laser Therapy on Malignant Melanoma. Literature was searched from the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct databases and then analyzed qualitatively. Results The use of laser therapy in the treatment of pigmented lesions without a definitive diagnosis by histopathological examination is controversial. It can delay the diagnosis of melanoma, recurrence of melanoma lesions, and can cause mortality Discussion Definitive conclusions about whether laser therapy for pigmented lesions without a definitive diagnosis of preexisting melanoma or melanoma is still unknown Conclusion Laser therapy can be given in specific melanoma cases, with laser subtypes, specific wavelengths, and after confirming the diagnosis by histopathological examination. Conventional therapy using surgical excision with free margins is currently preferred over laser therapy.