Topical 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy for actinic keratosis increases skin elasticity and hydration

Introduction: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a field-directed strategy to manage multiple actinic keratosis (AK) lesions. During the course of PDT, AK has been found to regress; meantime, lentigines, roughness, and fine lines advance on the photoaged skin. In this study, we adopted a noninvasive biop...

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Main Authors: Li-Yi Chan, Wei-En Wang, Ro‑Wei Wu, Jen-Hung Wang, Pin-Yu Chen, Chung‑Hsing Chang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1572100025001929
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author Li-Yi Chan
Wei-En Wang
Ro‑Wei Wu
Jen-Hung Wang
Pin-Yu Chen
Chung‑Hsing Chang
author_facet Li-Yi Chan
Wei-En Wang
Ro‑Wei Wu
Jen-Hung Wang
Pin-Yu Chen
Chung‑Hsing Chang
author_sort Li-Yi Chan
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a field-directed strategy to manage multiple actinic keratosis (AK) lesions. During the course of PDT, AK has been found to regress; meantime, lentigines, roughness, and fine lines advance on the photoaged skin. In this study, we adopted a noninvasive biophysical platform MPA580 to analyze skin indices of aging, including elasticity, hydration, sebum, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), melanin, erythema, and pH value. We aimed to provide additional quantitative evidence showing that PDT, used in a standard therapeutic regimen that is known to ameliorate AK, can also have significant anti-photoaging effects in a population of older adults with type III-IV skin. Materials and methods: Eighteen volunteers, 12 males and 6 females, mean age 74 years, histopathologically diagnosed with AK were included. Two sessions of PDT were conducted with a 4-week interval. The photosensitizer, 10 % aminolevulinic acid (Ameluz®) was applied to the whole face with occlusion for 2 h, and the whole face was irradiated with a 630-nm light source for 26 min at a mean light dose of 78 J/cm2. Skin biophysical assessments were sequentially performed at four time points. The first was 1 day before the first PDT, the second was 4 weeks after the baseline, the third was 8 weeks after the baseline, and the 4th was 12 weeks after the baseline. Results: Cheek elasticity significantly improved at weeks 4th and 8th (p = 0.006 and 0.002, respectively). Cheek hydration significantly increased at the 4th week (p = 0.018). No significant changes were observed in terms of cheek TEWL, melanin, erythema, sebum and pH values, and all parameters on the forehead and nose tip. Discussion: Topical PDT improves skin hydration and elasticity. It is a promising strategy for photorejuvenation for people aged >70 years. Future studies using large cohorts and long follow-up duration should be conducted to validate our results.
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spelling doaj-art-c43f67ff4fe94b558eabcdd430ee37aa2025-08-20T03:02:07ZengElsevierPhotodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy1572-10002025-08-015410466010.1016/j.pdpdt.2025.104660Topical 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy for actinic keratosis increases skin elasticity and hydrationLi-Yi Chan0Wei-En Wang1Ro‑Wei Wu2Jen-Hung Wang3Pin-Yu Chen4Chung‑Hsing Chang5Skin Institute, Department of Dermatology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, TaiwanSkin Institute, Department of Dermatology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, TaiwanSkin Institute, Department of Dermatology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, TaiwanDepartment of Medical Research, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, TaiwanSkin Institute, Department of Dermatology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, TaiwanSkin Institute, Department of Dermatology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan; Doctoral Degree Program in Translational Medicine, Tzu Chi University and Academia Sinica, College of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan; Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan; Corresponding author at: No. 707 s. 3, Zhongyang Rd. Hualien City, 970473, Taiwan.Introduction: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a field-directed strategy to manage multiple actinic keratosis (AK) lesions. During the course of PDT, AK has been found to regress; meantime, lentigines, roughness, and fine lines advance on the photoaged skin. In this study, we adopted a noninvasive biophysical platform MPA580 to analyze skin indices of aging, including elasticity, hydration, sebum, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), melanin, erythema, and pH value. We aimed to provide additional quantitative evidence showing that PDT, used in a standard therapeutic regimen that is known to ameliorate AK, can also have significant anti-photoaging effects in a population of older adults with type III-IV skin. Materials and methods: Eighteen volunteers, 12 males and 6 females, mean age 74 years, histopathologically diagnosed with AK were included. Two sessions of PDT were conducted with a 4-week interval. The photosensitizer, 10 % aminolevulinic acid (Ameluz®) was applied to the whole face with occlusion for 2 h, and the whole face was irradiated with a 630-nm light source for 26 min at a mean light dose of 78 J/cm2. Skin biophysical assessments were sequentially performed at four time points. The first was 1 day before the first PDT, the second was 4 weeks after the baseline, the third was 8 weeks after the baseline, and the 4th was 12 weeks after the baseline. Results: Cheek elasticity significantly improved at weeks 4th and 8th (p = 0.006 and 0.002, respectively). Cheek hydration significantly increased at the 4th week (p = 0.018). No significant changes were observed in terms of cheek TEWL, melanin, erythema, sebum and pH values, and all parameters on the forehead and nose tip. Discussion: Topical PDT improves skin hydration and elasticity. It is a promising strategy for photorejuvenation for people aged >70 years. Future studies using large cohorts and long follow-up duration should be conducted to validate our results.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1572100025001929Actinic keratosisPhotoagingPhotodynamic therapyPhotorejuvenationElasticityHydration
spellingShingle Li-Yi Chan
Wei-En Wang
Ro‑Wei Wu
Jen-Hung Wang
Pin-Yu Chen
Chung‑Hsing Chang
Topical 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy for actinic keratosis increases skin elasticity and hydration
Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy
Actinic keratosis
Photoaging
Photodynamic therapy
Photorejuvenation
Elasticity
Hydration
title Topical 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy for actinic keratosis increases skin elasticity and hydration
title_full Topical 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy for actinic keratosis increases skin elasticity and hydration
title_fullStr Topical 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy for actinic keratosis increases skin elasticity and hydration
title_full_unstemmed Topical 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy for actinic keratosis increases skin elasticity and hydration
title_short Topical 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy for actinic keratosis increases skin elasticity and hydration
title_sort topical 5 aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy for actinic keratosis increases skin elasticity and hydration
topic Actinic keratosis
Photoaging
Photodynamic therapy
Photorejuvenation
Elasticity
Hydration
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1572100025001929
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