The clearance of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) from the skin of hairless BALB/c mice after topical application of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and its methyl ester (ALA-Me) was investigated. Creams containing 2 or 20% of ALA or ALA-Me were topically applied on spots of approximately 1 cm(2) for 12 hours. The PpIX fluorescence was detected by the means of a Perkin Elmer LS50B luminescence spectrometer equipped with a fibre-optic probe. The emission spectrum was identical with that of cell-bound PpIX. After 12 hours application of ALA and ALA-Me similar amounts of PpIX were found. After cream removal the ALA-induced PpIX fluorescence decayed with a half-life of about 20 hours (20% ALA cream). The ALA-Me-induced PpIX was faster cleared from the skin than ALA-induced PpIX, and had a half-life of about 7 hours (20% ALA-Me cream).