THE EFFECT OF TOPICAL TRETINOIN ON THE PHOTODAMAGED SKIN OF THE JAPANESE

Fifteen middle aged or elderly patients with chronic solar damage of t he skin, eight patients with melasma and three patients with xeroderma pigmentosum were treated with topicial tretinoin for 6 months. There was a significant improvement in fine surface lines in periorbital reg ion, but no significant improvement was observed in deep furrows. No s ignificant change was induced in melasma despite the improvement in sm oothness of the skin surface. Global improvement was also seen in one patient with xeroderma pigmentosum. With regard to the functions of th e stratum corneum that was assessed on the flexor surface of the forea rms, values of water content as well as transepidermal water loss were found to increase one month after start of the application of tretino in cream. On the other hand, there was no significant change in the am ino acid content of the stratum corneum when measured after 4 months o f the treatment. It is concluded that tretinoin cream is capable of pa rtly reversing fine surface lines in photodamaged facial skin of the J apanese. However the irritation induced by 0.1% tretinoin cream was un expectedly severe in the Japanese as compared to that reported in Cauc asians.