The treatment of visible signs of senescence: the Asian experience.

Ageing of the skin is of growing concern. People living in the Far East are exposed to bright sunlight all year round so photoageing of exposed skin is inevitable. Visible signs of photoageing include hyperpigmentation, which is an early and prominent feature. In contrast, wrinkling and coarseness are late and inconspicuous features. Tretinoin has been shown to be effective in the improvement of these visible signs. The adverse effects of tretinoin present in the early phase of treatment: with adequate counselling from the dermatologist, and patience and preseverence on the part of the patient, these effects are only temporary and disappear with prolonged treatment. It seems that the longer the treatment and the stronger the concentration of tretinoin, the better the result.