Solar elastosis

What is solar elastosis?

Solar elastosis is a disorder in which the skin appears yellow and thickened as a result of sun damage. Solar elastosis is also known as actinic elastosis and senile elastosis.

What does solar elastosis look like?

To the naked eye, the skin appears yellow and thick, with bumps, wrinkles or grooves.

How is solar elastosis diagnosed?

Solar elastosis is diagnosed clinically by its appearance or microscopically on the skin. biopsy. Histology shows loss of eosin staining in H&E sections resulting in a bluish color of the top dermis with an accumulation of irregular thickening elastic fibers. These elastic fibers degrade to form tangled structures of disorganized tropoelastin and fibrillin.

the differential diagnosis of solar elastosis on the hands includes keratoelastoidalis marginalis, which is an acquired form of marginal keratoderma affecting the sides of the index fingers and thumbs.

Who gets solar elastosis?

Solar elastosis affects people who have had long-term sun exposure and is a characteristic of photoaging. It affects people of all skin types, but its yellow tone is more evident in people with white skin.

Of smoking

Solar elastosis is also a manifestation of premature skin aging caused by smoking.

Tobacco smoke affects the production of collagen and increases the production of tropoelastin and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) These degrade matrix proteins and produce abnormal elastotic material in the dermis (1). Elastic fiber changes in smokers extend deep into the lattice dermis while in sun damage these changes tend to be restricted to the most superficial ones. papillary dermis. (2)

Prevention and treatment of solar elastosis.

People with solar elastosis should minimize or avoid exposure to its known precipitants:

• careful sun protection measures with clothing and broad-spectrum high-protective sunscreens
• Quit smoking and avoid exposure to passive smoking.

Ablative and non-ablative To be deals, dermal fillers and neurotoxin injections (botulinum toxin) have been used in an attempt to improve the cosmetic appearance of solar elastosis.

It has been suggested that imiquimod may help improve histological Appearance of sun-damaged skin, including elastotic changes in the dermis, but this is not confirmed (3).