title: Treatment of photoaging with topical aminolevulinic acid and light.
abstract: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been used for several years for the treatment of actinic keratoses and prevention of invasive nonmelanoma cancers. More recently, increasing physician expertise with the topical sensitizers and light sources employed in PDT has led to expanded applications, including its use for improvement of the visible signs of photoaging. Aesthetic treatment of photoaged skin with brief application of topical 5-aminolevulinic acid followed by well-tolerated light sources, such as intense pulsed light or pulsed-dye laser, can enhance the effectiveness of nonablative laser treatment without increasing adverse effects or downtime.
authors.affiliation: Section of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alam
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Dover
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007642:Keratosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D015595:Skin Aging / Q000187:drug effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid