Dr. Sam Lam Plastic Surgery Forum

Hi Dr.Lam I have developed syringomas under my eyes this year at the age of 23 (am male). I saw my dermatologist about them who confirmed the diagnosis, but said since there are so many (i really have tons and they are clustered) he would not cauterise them. He suggested i rather seek help from somebody who specialises in laser resurfacing, and suggested perhaps trying a co2 laser. Do you have any thoughts on the best way to deal with syringomas?

Thank you so much for your time

Man, I just spent 20 minutes answering this question then apparently lost it. Here we go again:
1. i always say skin is a process. whatever problem you have today you have not eradicated the source problem causing it (your genes) so you must have it treated again in the future.
2. co2 laser is a ballistic missile. there is a risk of skin color loss depending on how dark you are. in general, if you are asian, hispanic just be careful. i prefer direct local cautery but even that is no guarantee and can cause prolonged pigmentation issues.
3. even though i am not a dermatologist, i would have you consider being on retin-a as a preventative measure if not to help a bit control the current process. to reverse it with retin-a is probably a pretty tall order.
4. some individuals who are sick of dealing with this problem may consider Accutane but that is something that must be used only in consultation with your dermatologist. if you go that route, then it would behoove you to undergo the cautery first since your skin will not heal as well when you are on Accutane.
those are at least my thoughts.
best,
sml