title: Videomicroscopic and histopathological investigation of intense pulsed light therapy for solar lentigines.
abstract: A noncoherent, broadband, intense pulsed light source has been effective for symptoms of photoaging skin as a nonablative method. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism of efficacy of intense pulsed light for solar lentigines, a symptom of photoaging skin, with videomicroscopy and histopathology. Skin lesions of patients with solar lentigines who received one treatment of intense pulsed light were examined. Sixteen of 20 patients showed tiny crusts clinically. These tiny crusts were confirmed to be micro-crust formation after epidermal injury with sequential observation using videomicroscope and histopathology. Drop-off of micro-crusts with ample melanin pigments lead to clinical improvement of skin lesions. Intense pulsed light with absorption spectrum for melanin induced injury of melanin-containing epidermal cells via photothermal effects, suggesting that intense pulsed light may be a new modality for solar lentigines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Kinki University School of Medicine, Ohno-Higashi 377-2, Osaka-Sayama city, Osaka 589-8511, Japan. kawada@med.kindai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawada
authors.forename: Mutsuyo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asai
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kameyama
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sangen
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aragane
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tezuka
authors.forename: Kouji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwakiri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007911:Lentigo / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D018715:Microscopy, Video; D008875:Middle Aged; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects; D013472:Sunlight