Long-term Improvement on Photoaging After ALA Photodynamic Therapy for Actinic Keratosis: A Retrospective Study

Abstract Background 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) is not only the first-line treatment for actinic keratosis (AK), but also demonstrated to improve photoaging during AK field treatment. However, its long-term effect on photoaging remains elusive. Objective To evaluate the long-term improvement effect of ALA-PDT on photoaging. Methods The data of 10 patients with AK who received field-directed ALA-PDT on one side of the face and lesion-directed ALA-PDT on the other side were retrospectively reviewed. Their clinical photographs were evaluated with Global scores of photoaging (GSP) assessment independently by two dermatologists at baseline and 1 month, 6 months and 24 months after ALA-PDT. Results GSP evaluation was performed after 24 months of follow-up. Improvements in the fine line and mottled pigmentation were observed (p Limitation A small sample size. Conclusion Photoaging can be effectively alleviated in the long-term follow-up after ALA-PDT treatment for AK. The present study may inspire new treatment strategies for photoaging.