Cutaneous Blood Flow: Use of Laser Doppler Velocimetry in Dermatology

In the 1991 document, Ethel Tur, M.D., highlighted the use of laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) to measure skin blood flow in various dermatological contexts. LDV was shown to be useful in assessing the mechanism of drug action, skin irritation, wound healing, clinical studies, and population variations. Notably, the document reported that minoxidil did not increase blood flow in androgenic alopecia treatment, challenging the idea that its hair growth effect is due to increased blood flow. LDV also helped in monitoring diseases like psoriasis and evaluating treatments by measuring blood flow changes. The technique was effective in studying conditions such as Raynaud phenomenon and differentiating responses to vasodilators among populations, with findings like higher blood flow in men than women and racial differences in response to certain chemicals. The document concluded that LDV is a valuable noninvasive tool for dermatological research, though it called for further refinement to decrease variability in data.