Treatment of dissecting cellulitis of the scalp with 10% ALA-PDT

Background Dissecting cellulitis of the scalp (DCS) is difficult to be treated and 5-aminolaevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) is considered to be a potential treatment for inflammatory skin diseases. Objective To analyze the efficacy and safety of ALA-PDT on DCS. Materials and Methods The treatment areas of DCS patients were incubated with freshly prepared 10% ALA for 3 hours. The 633 +/- 10 nm light with the intensity of 80-100 mw/cm(2) was used as the irradiation source of ALA-PDT, and the irradiation time was 20-30 minutes. Three sessions were applied at an interval of 10-15 days. According to the reduction of lesions and the improvements of patients' symptoms after each session, the objective assessment of therapeutic effect was divided into four grades. The adverse effects were recorded. Results Seven male DCS patients finished the treatments and assessments. One month after three sessions of treatment, one patient recovered, three patients received significant improvement, and one patients received medium improvement. At the 3-month follow-up, two patients recovered, four patients received significant improvement, and one patients received medium improvement. The patients tolerated well to the therapy without any severe adverse effects. Conclusion 10% ALA-PDT is effective and safe on male DCS patients. As a localized and less invasive treatment, it provides a preferable choice for DCS patients. Lasers Surg. Med. (c) 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.