Improvement of surgical scars by early intervention with 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy: A case report

Surgical scar formation afflicts patients and current treatments are limited by inconsistent efficacy, long-term and painful treatment processes. In this report, a patient received 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy (5-ALA PDT) on the first postoperative day, once a week for 5 sessions. At two-year follow-up, the intervention of 5-ALA PDT at early stage decreased the vascular density and improved extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. The early intervention of surgical scar by 5-ALA PDT overcomes the penetration limits of photosensitizer and red light, making it a potential strategy for surgical scar prevention.