c o g e nt ® compelling SKINCARE .com compelling SCIENCE

126 J. Cosmet. Sci., 73, 126–139 (May/June 2022) Physalis angulata Cream for Reducing Inflammatory Effects of Intense Pulsed Light Treatment for Solar Melanosis GLAUCIA RODRIGUES CARDOSO, PAULA MONTANHINI FAVETTA, JULIETA RAHAL CARDOSO BARUCCI, IRINÉIA PAULINA BARETTA, EMERSON LUIZ BOTELHO LOURENÇO, ODAIR ALBERTON AND RICARDO DE MELO GERMANO Universidade Paranaense, Praça Mascarenhas de Morães, Umuarama, Paraná, Brazil (G.R.C., I.P.B., E.L.B.L., O.A., R.M.G., P.M.F.) Praça Arthur Thomas, Umuarama, Paraná, Brazil (J.R.C.B.) Accepted for publication January 14, 2022. Synopsis Intense pulsed light (IPL) effectively treats solar hand melanosis but causes inflammation afterward. The aim of this study was to compare the anti-inflammatory effects of the supercritical extract of Physalis angulata L. with the effects of 1% hydrocortisone and a placebo. The participants treated with IPL (n = 60), aged 26–73 years, were divided into two groups (n = 30). In group 1, the left hands of participants were treated with 0.5% P. angulata L. extract, and the right hands were treated with 1% hydrocortisone. In group 2, the left and right hands were treated with 0.5% P. angulata L. extract and the placebo, respectively. In group 1, the hands treated with P. angulata extract had pain (16.6%), higher temperature (66.6%), and higher perilesional erythema (40%) compared to the hands treated with hydrocortisone. In group 2, only the hands treated with the placebo had pain (30%), higher temperature, and greater perilesional erythema than the hands treated with the P. angulata extract. The results show the superiority of hydrocortisone in treating melanosis, but the P. angulata extract exhibited significant efficacy when compared to the placebo and can act as a potential anti-inflammatory agent. INTRODUCTION The symptoms of solar hand melanosis consist of brownish macules resulting from chronic sun exposure and are treated for aesthetic reasons since the hands play an important social role (1). Among the numerous available treatments, the efficacy of intense pulsed light (IPL) has been proven (2,3). After IPL treatment (in combination with improved melanin distribution in the treated skin), an increase of collagen and elastic fibers, a reduction of CD4 lymphocyte without changing CD8, the formation of new vessels without ectasia, and an increase of intercellular adhesion glycoprotein (ICAM-1) induced by inflammatory response (4,5) are evident.