Body News.(photodynamic therapy alleviates skin aging, anti-inflammatory drugs effect to cancer prevention, and bad breath in women )

Byline: Kristin Sainani

Measurably Younger

Photodynamic therapy, a treatment for precancerous skin lesions, is thought to repair some signs of aging from sun damage, and a new study confirms this. Dermatologists led by Jeffrey S. Orringer at the University of Michigan treated the skin of 25 people with a light source and the light-activated drug Levulan. After a month, collagen production had increased about threefold. Levels of a protein involved in skin-cell growth were also boosted, more than fivefold. Many of the effects were similar to what is seen after several months of applying a retinoid cream, Orringer says. All the subjects developed redness and mild swelling for a few days; some had mild peeling. Patients need to avoid the sun for at least 48 hours after the procedure, until the photosensitizing drug wears off, Orringer says.

Painkillers and Breast Cancer

Common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may lower breast-cancer risk. Among 2.7 million women who took such medications with varying frequency, aspirin takers were 13 percent less likely, on averageand ibuprofen users 21 percent less likelyto get breast cancer than nonusers. The drugs inhibit molecules that may ...