The ASDS consensus document on PDT will be helpful for educating members on safe and effective PDT for a variety of indications.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) relies on the interaction between a photosensitizer, the appropriate wavelength, and oxygen to cause cell death. First introduced about 100 years ago, PDT has continued to evolve in dermatology into a safe and effective treatment option for several dermatologic conditions. PDT is also used by pulmonologists, urologists, and ophthalmologists. This article focuses on the history of PDT, mechanism of action, photosensitizers and light sources used, therapeutic applications and expected dermatologic outcomes, as well as management of adverse events.

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We investigated the change in optical properties and vascular parameters to characterize skin tissue from mild photodamage to actinic keratosis (AK) with comparison to a published photodamage scale. Multi-wavelength spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) measurements were performed on the dorsal forearms of 55 adult subjects with various amounts of photodamage. Dermatologists rated the levels of photodamage based upon the photographs in blinded fashion to allow comparison with SFDI data. For characterization of statistical data, we used artificial neural networks. Our results indicate that optical and vascular parameters can be used to quantify photodamage and can discriminate between the stages as low, medium, and high grades, with the best performance of ∼70%, ∼76% and 80% for characterization of low-medium-and high-grade lesions, respectively. Ultimately, clinicians can use this noninvasive approach for risk assessment and frequent monitoring of high-risk populations.

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