Actinic elastosis in black skin. A light- and electronmicroscopic study

In 9 otherwise dermatologically normal South African Balck volunteers (1--72 years old), sunlight-exposed and non-exposed skin has been examined by light- and electronmicroscopy with special references to age-dependent and actinic alteration of dermal structures. Two 72 year old Blacks exhibited typical dermal elastosis: in 1 case to a marked extent and already detectable by lightmicroscopy, in the other case only to a mild degree. In contrast, only age-related elastic fibers were revealed in the lower dermis of sunlight-exposed skin and in all dermal layers of unexposed skin. These observations are contradictory to the general view that actinic elastosis does not occur in Blacks. The elastotic material is obviously a de-novo synthesized and secreted pathological product of chronically UV-altered fibroblasts.