Use of pyruvic acid in the treatment of actinic keratoses: a clinical and histopathologic study
- PMID: 2070654
Use of pyruvic acid in the treatment of actinic keratoses: a clinical and histopathologic study
Abstract
Twelve patients with multiple actinic keratoses were treated with either 5-fluorouracil and pyruvic acid or pyruvic acid alone. Three patients were treated with 5 percent 5-fluorouracil cream for one to three weeks for comparison. Exposure time to alpha-hydroxy acids varied between one and ten minutes. Biopsy specimens were taken at times varying from immediately after treatment to eight weeks after treatment. The results show that the combination of 5-fluorouracil and pyruvic acid is an effective treatment for actinic keratoses. In addition, the exposure time to 5-fluorouracil is decreased and therefore this treatment is better tolerated than prolonged treatment with 5-fluorouracil alone.