Clinical improvement of solar lentigines and ephelides with an intense pulsed light source.
BACKGROUND
A noncoherent, broadband, intense pulsed light (IPL) source has been used for the symptoms of photoaging skin as a nonablative method.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the efficacy and tolerability of IPL in solar lentigines and ephelides on the face.


METHODS
An open study was performed in patients with solar lentigines and ephelides who received three to five treatments of IPL.


RESULTS
Forty-eight percent of patients had more than 50% improvement and 20% had more than 75% improvement. In the group of solar lentigines, 40% of patients showed more than 50% improvement and 16% had more than 75% improvement. Patients with small plaques of solar lentigines responded well, whereas patients with small + large and large plaques showed poor response. Patients with solar lentigines + ephelides and ephelides responded remarkably with 75% and 71% of patients, respectively, having more than 50% improvement.


CONCLUSIONS
IPL was well tolerated and may be a new modality for the therapy of solar lentigines and ephelides.
Kawada
Akira
A
Department of Dermatology, Kinki University School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan. kawada@med.kindai.ac.jp
Shiraishi
Hatsuki
H
Asai
Mutsuyo
M
Kameyama
Hiroko
H
Sangen
Yoshiko
Y
Aragane
Yoshinori
Y
Tezuka
Tadashi
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007911:Lentigo / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008548:Melanosis / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome