In vivo analysis of solar lentigines by reflectance confocal microscopy before and after Q-switched ruby laser treatment

Abstract

Solar lentigines are benign lesions usually found on sun-damaged skin. We investigated twelve cases of solar lentigines through dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy, performed before, and 30 min and 10 days after, a single treatment with a Q-switched ruby laser. At baseline, all lesions showed characteristic features of solar lentigines in reflectance confocal microscopy analysis: regular honeycomb patterns, edged dermal papillae and cord-like rete ridges at the dermoepidermal junction. Thirty minutes post-laser treatment, blurred epidermal intercellular connections, dark structureless areas of different sizes and shapes in the lower epidermal layers, and hyporeflective dermal papillae, reflecting epidermal and dermal oedema, were observed. Ten days post-treatment highly reflective round-to polygonal areas and aggregated granules, representing extracellular melanin, were detected in all epidermal layers featuring regular honeycomb patterns. Reflectance confocal microscopy can be used to visualise dynamic skin processes, allowing non-invasive in vivo follow-up of skin lesions after treatment.