Topical Human Epidermal Growth Factor in the Treatment of Senile Purpura and the Prevention of Dermatoporosis.

Senile purpura presents itself as a largely unexplored challenge as it has been long thought of as a benign condition without long-term health sequelae. It is becoming increasingly accepted that skin aging not only results in cosmetic disturbances, but as a functional ones. With modern increases in lifespan, skin atrophy associated with solar damage is presenting as a clinically significant inability to mechanically protect patients. This chronic cutaneous insufficiency/fragility syndrome was recently termed dermatoporosis and senile purpura appears to be a visible marker of early stage dysfunction.To examine the effects of topically human epidermal growth factor on the clinical presence of senile purpura and its effect on skin thickness as measured via cutaneous ultrasound.Six subjects applied human epidermal growth factor morning and night for six weeks. Clinical outcomes were evaluated by comparing initial clinical photos to 6-week photos and performing a blinded investigator's global assessment (IGA). Skin thickness was evaluated via cutaneous ultrasound measurement.Ultrasound measurements indicated a mean skin thickening of 195.2 ± 35.7 um (SEM) over 6 weeks. The average number of purpuric lesions decreased from 15 ± 4.6 (SEM) to 2.3 ± 0.7 (SEM) over that same period.Senile purpura presents itself as a cosmetic disturbance posing significant psychological distress and serves as a marker of the severity of skin thinning. In this study, we demonstrate that topical h-EGF diminishes the appearance of senile purpura by thickening skin and may help prevent the development of late stage dermatoporosis.