PEER-REVIEW | DERMATOLOGY | Figure 4 Fluorescence level: all patients
35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0
TIME OF MEASUREMENT OF FLUORESCENCE LEVEL Fluoresence 3
Fluoresence 1 Treatment 1 Fluoresence 2 Treatment 2 Treatment 3
Fluorescence level before treatment (flourescence 1), after MAL application (fluorescence 2), and after course of SBRR-PDT (fluorescence 3) for all patients
Figure 5 Fluorescence level: facial acne subgroup
35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0
TIME OF MEASUREMENT OF FLUORESCENCE LEVEL Fluoresence 3
Fluoresence 1 Treatment 1 Fluoresence 2 Treatment 2 Treatment 3
Fluorescence level before treatment (flourescence 1), after MAL application (fluorescence 2), and after course of SBRR-PDT (fluorescence 3) for acne on the face subgroup
How significant was the decrease in acne severity
after the application of the SBRR-MAL-PDT protocol? How important was the monitoring of superficial skin
fluorescence (SSF) before, immediately after OCT, and conclusively, after the full SBRR-MAL-PDT sequence? Acne severity was assessed at baseline and 1 month
after each SBRR-MAL-PDT procedure. A chi-square test was used since variables were considered categorical. Acne severity was evaluated by considering the study population as a whole (39 patients) and dividing patients into two sub-groups: patients with facial acne, and those with acne confined to chest and/or dorsal regions. Superficial skin fluorescence (SSF) was statistically
assessed comparing three different sequential measurements: baseline (SSF-1), immediately after OCT (SFF-2), and immediately after the full course of SBRR- PDT.
Table 4 Mean pain level score S.D MEAN S.D
During After
26 5.71 2.61 3.87 2.51
5.57 3.29
Mean pain level score (PLS) during and after treatment August/September 2015 |
prime-journal.com Almost one third of
patients (31.7%) showed a stabilization on mild acne status (PSK 2), and more than half (53.7%) were classed as
non-inflammatory acne (PSK 1).
Results Acne severity Acne severity was significantly reduced after SBRR-MAL-PDT, on all anatomical areas involved ( = 39; p<0.001). When the entire study population was considered, acne severity was graded as either moderate (PSK 3) or severe (PSK 4) before treatment; while after SBRR-MAL-PDT, it was graded as clear (PSK 0) in 14.6% of patients. Almost one third of patients (31.7%) showed a stabilization on mild acne status (PSK 2), and
more than half (53.7%) were classed as non-inflammatory acne (PSK 1) (Figure 1). Similar results were obtained analyzing data collected
separately on patients affected by facial acne ( = 31, p<0.001) and patients affected by acne localized on the back/chest (= 8, p<0.005). (Figures 2–3). Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between male and female subgroups. Furthermore, after completion of treatment at the time
1ST TREATMENT 2ND TREATMENT MEAN
2.07 2.05
of assessment the mean for each type of lesion — papules, pustules, and cysts — was 3.28, 4.38, and 0.56 respectively (Table 3).
Fluorescence level Superficial skin fluorescence (SSF) was significantly increased 1-hour OCT (facial skin) and 2-hours OCT
FLUORESCENCE LEVEL
FLUORESCENCE LEVEL
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