Photorejuvenation--topical photodynamic therapy as therapeutic opportunity for skin rejuvenation.

The intrinsic aging process of the skin in unavoidable and depends on the passage of time per se. Among harmful environmental factors that contribute to extrinsic aging, long-term effects of repeated exposure to ultraviolet radiation are the most significant and are referred to as photoaging. Photoaging is directly correlated to the quantity of UV rays received during the course of a lifetime. Topical photodynamic therapy is well-established procedure for the treatment of actinic keratoses, Bowen disease and basal cell carcinomas. Clinical experience has demonstrated that extensive treatment of actinic keratoses on sun-damaged skin also produces as a positive side effects significant improvement of the signs of skin aging. An improvement of lentigines, skin roughness, fine lines, increases in skin smoothness and improvement of actinic elastosis, skin colour and reduction of hyperpigmentation were seen. The reversible side effects of photodynamic therapy include pain, erythema, oedema, scaling and crusting, and sometimes in darker skin types post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Photodynamic therapy is promising approach for treatment ofphotoinduced skin aging and takes place between ablative and non-ablative methods for skin rejuvenation. Effective improvement of photoaged skin, the possibility of repeated treatments and imitated side effects makes photodynamic therapy a promising procedure for skin rejuvenation.