Actinic elastosis, also known as solar elastosis, is an accumulation of abnormal elastin (elastic tissue) in the dermis of the

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different de ...

, or in the

conjunctiva The conjunctiva is a thin mucous membrane that lines the inside of the eyelids and covers the sclera (the white of the eye). It is composed of non-keratinized, stratified squamous epithelium with goblet cells, stratified columnar epithelium ...

of the eye, which occurs as a result of the cumulative effects of prolonged and excessive sun exposure, a process known as

photoaging Photoaging or photoageing (also known as "dermatoheliosis") is a term used for the characteristic changes to skin induced by chronic UVA and UVB exposure. Tretinoin is the best studied retinoid in the treatment of photoaging. The deterioration ...

Signs and symptoms

Actinic elastosis usually appears as thickened, dry, wrinkled skin. Several clinical variants have been recorded. One of the most readily identifiable is the thickened, deeply fissured skin seen on the back of the chronically sun-exposed neck, known as

cutis rhomboidalis nuchae Cutis rhomboidalis nuchae is a skin condition of the posterior neck, characterized by deep furrowing of the skin. See also * List of cutaneous conditions Many skin conditions affect the human integumentary system—the organ system cover ...

. These features are a part of the constellation of changes that are seen in photoaged skin.

Causes

The origin of the elastotic material in the dermis remains a subject of debate. Theories on the formation of the elastotic material include actinic stimulation of fibroblasts, promoting synthesis of this material, or that the material is a degradation product of collagen, elastin, or both.

Diagnosis

In the earlier stages of actinic elastosis, elastic fiber proliferation can be seen in the dermis. As the condition becomes more established, the collagen fibers of the papillary dermis and reticular dermis become increasingly replaced by thickened and curled fibers that form tangled masses and appear

basophilic Basophilic is a technical term used by pathologists. It describes the appearance of cells, tissues and cellular structures as seen through the microscope after a histological section has been stained with a basic dye. The most common such dye i ...

under routine

haematoxylin Haematoxylin or hematoxylin (), also called natural black 1 or C.I. 75290, is a compound extracted from heartwood of the logwood tree (''Haematoxylum campechianum'') with a chemical formula of . This naturally derived dye has been used as a ...

and

eosin Eosin is the name of several fluorescent acidic compounds which bind to and form salts with basic, or eosinophilic, compounds like proteins containing amino acid residues such as arginine and lysine, and stains them dark red or pink as a resul ...

staining. These fibers stain black with the

Verhoeff stain Verhoeff is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Frederick Herman Verhoeff (1874–1968), American ophthalmic surgeon who developed Verhoeff's stain * Hendrik Verhoeff (c. 1645–1680), Dutch silversmith and assassin * Jacobus Ver ...

Treatment

Numerous treatment options are available for photoaged skin, including

dermabrasion Dermabrasion is a type of surgical skin planing, generally with the goal of removing acne, scarring and other skin or tissue irregularities, typically performed in a professional medical setting by a dermatologist or plastic surgeon trained speci ...

, topical application of

retinoic acid Retinoic acid (used simplified here for all-''trans''-retinoic acid) is a metabolite of vitamin A1 (all-''trans''-retinol) that mediates the functions of vitamin A1 required for growth and development. All-''trans''-retinoic acid is required in ...

carbon dioxide laser The carbon-dioxide laser (CO2 laser) was one of the earliest gas lasers to be developed. It was invented by Kumar Patel of Bell Labs in 1964 and is still one of the most useful types of laser. Carbon-dioxide lasers are the highest-power contin ...

resurfacing, hyaluronic acid injection into the dermis,

imiquimod Imiquimod, sold under the brand name Aldara among others, is a medication that acts as an immune response modifier that is used to treat genital warts, superficial basal cell carcinoma, and actinic keratosis. Scientists at 3M's pharmaceuticals ...

tacrolimus Tacrolimus, sold under the brand name Prograf among others, is an immunosuppressive drug. After allogeneic organ transplant, the risk of organ rejection is moderate. To lower the risk of organ rejection, tacrolimus is given. The drug can also ...

ointment, and topical

oestrogen Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal acti ...

therapy. These treatments have variable efficacy. The most effective prevention strategy for photoaging remains minimization of sun exposure, through use of sunscreen and other sun exposure avoidance measures.

References

External links

Picture of solar elastosis
at DermIS.net {{Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue Abnormalities of dermal fibrous and elastic tissue