Why carry out this study?

Actinic keratosis (AK), or solar keratosis, is a common precancerous condition of the skin, and its treatment with conventional and daylight photodynamic therapies (PDT) has been widely studied with high clearance rates reported.

Little is known about PDT effectiveness in different AK subtypes.

Melanin competes with protoporphyrin IX in light absorption, reducing photochemical reaction and desired photodynamic effect.

There have been no studies analyzing the effectiveness of PDT in pigmented AK (pAK).

What has been learned from this study?

PDT has proven to be an effective treatment modality for pAK in fair-skinned individuals.

Reflectance confocal microscopy examination showed superior usefulness in monitoring the PDT results.