(NAPSA)—While sunlight on your face feels good at the time, it’s important to remember too much may cause spots of trouble downtheroad. A common skin problem resulting from overexposure to sunlight is called solar lentigines, commonly knownas age, sun, or liver spots. These spots appear as smallflat, medium to dark brown freckles on sun-exposed skin including the hands, forearms, chest, and face. Most people don’t do anything about these unsightly spots because they believe they are a natural part of the aging process. About 90 percent of light skinned people over the age of 60 develop the condition, but only two in 10 seek the advice of a dermatologist.’ The good newsis that thefirst FDA-approved combination topical product for the treatment of solar lentigines, called Solag (mequinol 2%, tretinoin 0.01%) Topical Solution, is now available. Solag Topical Solution is recommended in conjunction with a rigorous sun protection regimen. In clinical trials, at 24 weeks of treatment, 57 percent and 54 per- cent of patients experienced mod- erate improvement or greater of targeted lesions on the face and forearms/back of hands, respectively. This level of improvement was maintained for periods of up to 24 weeks, with 70 percent of the target lesions on the face and 56 percent of the target lesions on the forearms.* Mild to moderate redness, burning, stinging, peeling, itching, or irritation may be experienced. Tretinoin has been reported to cause severe irritation on eczematous skin and should be used only with utmost caution in patients with this condition. Solag Topical Solution should not be administered if the patient is also taking drugs known to be photosensitizers (e.g., thiazides, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, phenothiazines, or sulfonamides) because of the possibility of augmented phototoxicity. Excessive bleaching resulting in undesirable cosmetic effects in patients with darker skin cannot be excluded. Solag Topical Solution should be used with caution by patients with a history, or family history, of vitiligo. Because the combination of mequinol and tretinoin may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman, Solag Topical Solution is contraindicated in women who are or who may becomepregnant. Women should use adequate birth control measures when being treated with Solag Topical Solution. Exposure to sunlight, sunlamps, or UV light and extreme heat, wind, or cold should be avoided. Use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen with appropriate SPF of 30 or higher is required. Patients should avoid the sun or wearprotective clothing. Solag Topical Solution is available by prescription. Patients should consult their physician or a dermatologist for more information on solar lentigo or possible courses of treatment. For more information on Solag Topical Solution, please visit www.solage.com. + Incidence of Hyperpigmentation Market Research conducted by ICR, Media, PA, October 1999 ? Solage Topical Solution Package Insert Fleischer ABet al. The combination of 2% 4-Hydroxyamsole (Mequinol) and 0.01% Tretinoinis effective in improving the appearanceof solar lentigines and related hyperpigmented lesions in two double-blind multi-center clincial studies. Journal of American Academy of Dermatol 2008 42: 459-467.
