Photodynamic therapy and IPL were effective for onychomycosis cure of any etiology.

Background: Although surgical removal is the treatment of choice in Bowen's disease (BD), there are cases in which by age, comorbidities, use of anticoagulants, location, cosmetic result, or size, it is preferable to use other alternative treatments such as cryotherapy, 5-fluorouracil cream, imiquimod 5% cream or photodynamic therapy (PDT). Efficacy of PDT in BD is supported by substantial research and clinical data. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the long term effectiveness of methyl aminolevulinate-PDT (MAL/PDT) on a wide range of Bowen lesions in different locations and sizes. Methods: Patients diagnosed with BD were treated in 3 sessions with a 4-week interval in between with MAL/PDT between January 2016 and January 2017 in a private clinic. Clinical response and relevant patient and tumour characteristics were analyzed during the first year after start of the PDT sessions. Results: In total, 21 BD lesions in 18 patients were included in the study. Complete regression (CR) after 3rd PDT session was 87.5% and 100% at the 6-month follow-up. Treatment was well tolerated and local adverse reactions were very scarce. No recurrence was observed at 12-month follow-up. Cosmetic outcome at 12 months was good or excellent in 100% of patients. Conclusions: MAL/PDT is an effective, non invasive and safe treatment modality for BD with excellent cosmesis.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as an interesting alternative option for onychomycosis treatment. The impact of a specific photosensitizer (PS) on the final result is an important factor to consider. We conducted a short-and medium-term controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of PDT in the treatment of mild-tomoderate onychomycosis when it is mediated by two different PSs. Twenty patients were randomized to receive nine sessions of PDT distributed over 16 weeks mediated either by methylene blue (MB/PDT group) or methyl aminolevulinate (MAL/ PDT group). Onychomycosis severity index (OSI) and nail involvement were checked along the study. Complete cure, treatment success, and clinical improvement were tabulated at 16 and 40-week follow-ups. OSI scores decreased significantly along the study, from 12.1 ± 5.4 to 3.6 ± 3.2 (MB/PDT group) and from 14.8 ± 6.0 to 5.4 ± 4.4 (MAL/PDT group). At 16-week follow-up, only 20% of the patients in the MB/PDT group reached complete cure and none in the group of MAL/PDT. At 40-week follow-up, complete cure rates were 70% and 40% in the MB/PDT group and MAL/PDT group respectively. Both modalities showed good outcomes in treatment of moderate toenail onychomycosis. MB/PDT showed a faster action but with relapse rates slightly higher than MAL/PDT.

No abstract

Background: Although systemic therapies are recommended for severe or recalcitrant cases of Pityriasis versicolor (PV), they are not free of important side effects and drug interactions. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) utilizes the action of singlet oxygen and free radicals produced by a light-activated photosensitizer to kill viruses, bacteria or fungi.In this study the effect of a PDT mediated by methylene blue (MB) in PV was evaluated.Methods: Five women with PV disseminated on the back and diagnosed by fresh microscopic analysis, were treated with a solution of MB (2%) applied to the PV lesions for 3 minutes. Next, a red LED lamp (λ= 630±5 nm, 37J/cm 2 ), placed 100 mm from the skin for 10 minutes, was applied on the dyed PV lesions. Six sessions of MB/PDT were implemented with a 2-week interval in between. Wood´s lamp examination was used to monitor fungal infection at each time point. Results: Complete cure was observed in the five women at the 4-weeks post-treatment follow-up. Fluoresce images from PV lesions by Wood´s lamp allowed to evaluate if the lesions were healed or not at each time point. No patient showed relapse at the 6month follow-up. The patients did not have any adverse effect and good cosmetic outcome was observed.Conclusions: Six sessions of MB/PDT spaced at 14-day intervals are sufficient for the treatment for PV in healthy patients.