Dermal echogenicity: a biological indicator of individual cumulative UVR exposure?

Dermal alterations due to chronic UVR exposure may influence dermal ultrasound echogenicity, and a subepidermal low-echogenic band has been proposed as a marker of photoaging. The aim of this study was to determine whether dermal echogenicity could be used as a biological UVR dosimeter. We included 201 subjects (138 healthy volunteers, 31 patients with basal cell carcinoma, and 32 patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma). The number of low-echogenic pixels in the upper dermis relative to the lower dermis (LEP(u/l)) was determined in sun-exposed and sun-protected skin. Individual UVR exposure data were collected retrospectively and prospectively using a questionnaire and electronic personal UVR dosimeters. Age, but not sex, skin type, constitutive pigmentation or smoking, correlated significantly with LEP(u/l) at all body sites. Different measures of individual UVR exposure were significantly positively correlated with LEP(u/l) (together r(2)=0.39, dorsal forearm), but separately the correlations were poor ( r(2)=0.04-0.19). LEP(u/l) was higher in the dorsal forearm in a group with high UVR exposure compared to a low-exposure group ( P=0.007). Skin cancer patients in general had a lower LEP(u/l) than healthy subjects. The results indicate that the age-related increase in LEP(u/l) might be attributed mainly to UVR exposure, and that the methods used to obtain the UVR exposure data might not be sufficiently sensitive or specific. Genetic factors might also influence LEP(u/l). We consider LEP(u/l) to be a sensitive and specific marker for UVR exposure at the dorsal aspect of the forearm in healthy subjects.