Sunscreen May Prevent Lesions in Photosensitive CLE Patients

Broad-spectrum sunscreen effective in group of cutaneous lupus erythematosus patients

TUESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen may prevent skin lesions in photosensitive patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), according to research published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Annegret Kuhn, M.D., of the University of Muenster in Germany, and colleagues conducted a randomized, double-blind study of 25 patients with a history of photosensitive CLE. The researchers assessed ultraviolet (UV) A- and UVB-induced lesions after application to the back of a broad-spectrum sunscreen versus its vehicle.

The researchers found that characteristic skin lesions were induced by UVA and UVB irradiation in the untreated area in 16 patients and in the vehicle-treated area in 14 patients; however, no patients exhibited any CLE-compatible eruptions in the sunscreen-treated area. Patients who were under 40 years of age at CLE onset reported photosensitivity more often than those who were older at disease onset. The test product and vehicle did not produce any adverse effects in the patients.

"These results indicate that the use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a high protection factor both in UVA and UVB can prevent skin lesions in photosensitive patients with different subtypes of CLE," the authors write.

Two of the authors were employees of the company that owns the sunscreen product at the time of conducting the study.

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