Topical Tretinoin for Photoaging . the China Experience

Topica] tretinoin (Retin-A• , Ortho Pharmaceuticals) was applied for 6-9 months to photoaged faces of 27 Chinese, mostly women, living in North China where climatic conditions are very unfavorable. Summers are hot and sunny, predisposing to photodamage. The weather is also frequently dry and windy predisposing to dryness. The results were similar to those previously described on Orientals in Thailand, Phillippines and S.E. Asia. Based on global estimates, most subjects showed a satisfactory degree of improvement in over-all appearance. Beneficiai effects were noteworthy for the following features. 1) Dyspigmentation: Hyper-pigmented spots and blotches faded. Skin color became more uniform. 2) Wrinkles: Fine wrinkles, especially those around the eyes, were effaced. 3) Sallowness:Yell ow-tin ged ski n was repl aced by a rosy g low, wh ich added greatly to attractiveness. 4) Dry-roughness: The surface became smoother and less scaly. A contro! group treated with a moisturizer. Moisturizer fai led to show appreciable benefits in any of the above features. lrritant reactions, consisting mainly of buming, scaling and erythema were more common than in Caucasoids. Almost a third of the partici pants dropped out bacause of these ad verse changes. This experience corresponds to a widespread belief by physicians that Orientai skin is more "sensitive" to potentially irritating substances. Riassunto