title: Spectophotometric intracutaneous analysis: an investigation on photodamaged skin of immunocompromised patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  SIAscopy (Spectrophotometric Intracutaneous Analysis) enables non-invasive analysis of the skin.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We wanted to determine whether SIAscopy is able to detect and differentiate the skin chromophores melanin, collagen and haemoglobin and the influence of immunosuppressive drugs and other known risk factors for non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Volunteers and patients were measured by SIAscopy at six spots on sun-exposed and two spots on sun-protected skin. Measurements were transformed by SIAmetrics into arbitrary units and statistically analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Melanin was shown to be higher with age (+1.73759 a.u.; P < 0.0001), sun exposure (+47.03998 a.u.; P < 0.0001), immunosuppression (+10.48526 a.u.; P < 0.0001) and lower in males (-26.50952 a.u.; P < 0.0001). Collagen was lower with increasing age (-0.29162 a.u.; P < 0.0001) and sun exposure (-6.85586 a.u.; P < 0.0001) but higher with male sex (+8.34251 a.u.; P < 0.0001) and immunosuppression (+5.79171 a.u.; P = 0.0001). Haemoglobin was lower with increasing age (-0.23833 a.u.; P = 0.0005), but higher with male sex (+18.51976 a.u.; P < 0.0001) and sun exposure (+13.74523 a.u.; P < 0.0001). Haemoglobin content was not associated to immunosuppression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results encourage the use of SIAscopy as a tool to better gauge an individual patient's NMSC risk factors. Further studies should help to better delineate SIAscopy as a prognostic tool.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.|Division of Nephrology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Stimpfle
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Wüthrich
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: French
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: G F L
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Hofbauer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host / Q000502:physiology; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008543:Melanins / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012867:Skin / Q000737:chemistry*; D015595:Skin Aging / Q000502:physiology; D013053:Spectrophotometry / Q000379:methods; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D008543:Melanins; D003094:Collagen