Summary

Photoaging induced by repeated exposures to UV light produces dramatic changes in the skin. These changes include fine and coarse wrinkling, precancerous and cancerous growths, and pigmentary alterations, to name just a few. Pigmentary alterations are a major component of photoaged skin in all skin types. However, there is variability in the severity and manifestations of photoaging between Asians, African Americans, and Caucasians due to epidermal melanin content and melanosomal distribution The pigmentary alterations most commonly associated with photoaged skin are mottled, focal, and confluent hyperpigmentation; ephelides; lentigines; pigmented seborrheic keratoses; and dermatosis papulosa nigra. Advances in invasive and noninvasive therapeutic modalities for the treatment of photoaging have lead to the burgeoning field of cosmetic dermatology.