Clinical comparative study between cryotherapy and local dermabrasion for the treatment of solar lentigo on the back of the hands

BACKGROUND. Solar lentigo is a common and unsightly dermatosis that has a v ariety of proposed treatments. OBJECTIVE. This study was done to assess the efficacy and the effectiveness of localized dermabrasion compared with cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen o n solar lentigo on the back of the hands. METHODS. Ten female patients aged 64-96 years with solar lentigo on the bac k of the hands were treated with dermabrasion or cryotherapy and observed o ver a 6-month period. RESULTS. The postsurgery signs and symptoms were less intense and better to lerated with localized dermabrasion. More than 50% of the patients treated with cryotherapy still had hypochromia in the treated areas 6 months after treatment, compared with 11% of the patients treated with dermabrasion. The percentage of recurrence was the same with the both treatments (55.55%). CONCLUSION. Localized dermabrasion is an efficacious and effective techniqu e comparable to cryotherapy for the treatment of solar lentigo on the back of the hands.