Researchers see the light over new treatment

06 Dec 2013 Researchers from The University of Manchester and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust have tested a new way to treat a disfiguring skin condition. Telangiectatases are knot-like clusters of blood vessels on the skin which can occur in 30 to 50 per cent of patients with systemic sclerosis, a potentially serious and incurable auto-immune condition that affects connective tissue. Telangiectases tend to occur on the face, neck and upper limbs and can cause psychological issues for patients. Currently, doctors use laser treatment to blast the telangiectases and destroy them but this treatment can be painful at the time and result in bruising afterwards so researchers have been looking for an alternative. Salford Royal is one of only a handful of Trusts in the UK specialising in systemic sclerosis, also known as scleroderma, and Consultant Rheumatologist Ariane Herrick, also Professor of Rheumatology at The University of Manchester's Institute for Inflammation and Repair, is a leading UK expert in the condition. As part of the Trust's and University's wide range of studies to improve care of scleroderma patients, researchers tested using intense pulsed light (IPL) instead of laser treatment. IPL is often used cosmetically for treating birthmarks and for hair removal.