Introduction: The use of exogenous pigmentation as an adjuvant therapy to Intense Pulsed Light in the treatment of melanoses is routine, nevertheless there is an absence of published comparative studies. Objective: To compare Intense Pulsed Light therapy in isolation, or combined with exogenous pigmentation in the treatment of solar lentigines on the dorsum of the hands. Methods: Twenty women (mean age = 56.5 years) with skin types from I to III, underwent three sessions of Intense Pulsed Light, with a brown makeup pencil pigment reinforcement being applied to the lesions on the right hand. The patients were queried about the degree of discomfort, swelling, crusting, and improvement experienced, their treatment of preference and which they felt provided greater effectiveness, and the incidence of side effects. Results: When assessing all three of the treatment sessions together, the median discomfort score, as well as the degree of inflammation and crusting (p < 0.01), were higher on the right hand. Regarding the subjective impression of the final result, 15 in 20 patients preferred the technique applied on the right hand, considering it more effective (p < 0.01). Eleven in 20 patients reported fewer side effects in the un-pigmented side (p = 0.12). The degree of discomfort did not correlate significantly with the preferred technique (p = 0.67). Conclusions: In this sample, there was a preference for the method with the adjuvant use of exogenous pigmentation, however the incidence of pain and side effects was higher in this group.

Keywords: MELANOSIS, HAND, PIGMENTATION, LIGHT

One of the signs of perioral aging is the lengthening of the upper lip followed by perioral sagging that leads to the depressed angle of the mouth. Various perioral rejuvenation techniques - such as the use of fillers and ablative techniques - are described, however the inversion of the lip does not usually fully improve with those treatment modalities. The authors describe three patients with depressed angles of the mouth that were surgically corrected through a simple, however little used technique, which produces satisfactory aesthetic results.

Keywords: MOUTH; AGING; SURGERY, PLASTIC.