A simple method for preparing transparent crack-free solid polymeric matrices is presented. Different dopants may be hosted in the polymeric matrix. The method is applied to prepare Glycidyl-methacrylate polymeric rods doped with solutions of coumarin 500 laser dye (ethanol and chloroform). The solvent’s effect has appeared as a shift in the absorption and photoluminous spectral bands of the laser dye in the solid polymeric host. The prepared solid samples showed nonlinear optical response on excitation with 532 nm of nanosecond laser pulses using the open aperture z-scan technique. Each sample shows different nonlinear behavior in response to the irradiating laser beam. The theoretical fitting of the experimental data indicates that the dominant mechanism of nonlinear absorption is the two-photon absorption process. Visible amplified spontaneous emission is reported in both polymeric dye rods by NIR pumping. High photostability is reported for the samples.

BACKGROUND: Acral speckled hypomelanosis is a very rare pigmentation disorder that appears early in life with hypopigmented macules on background of normal skin, occurring on the acral parts.

CASE REPORT: We report a 9-year-old female patient with a 3-year duration of progressive, hypopigmented, confetti-like macules occurring symmetrically on the dorsum of both hands and feet. Biopsy showed normal number of melanocytes with no evidence of macromelanosomes using special stains for melanocytes.

CONCLUSION: Acral speckled hypomelanosis is a relatively, recently, discovered entity, with only 9 cases reported to date, and our case is the 10th. The exact etiopathogenesis is not yet known.