Methods for treating diseases or disorders of the skin which are
characterized by angiogenesis have been developed using curcumin and
curcumin analogs. Based on the results obtained with curcumin, it has
been determined that other angiogenesis inhibitors can also be used to
treat these skin disorders. It has further been discovered that curcumin
acts to inhibit angiogenesis in part by inhibition of basic fibroblast
growth factor (bFGF), and thereby provides a means for treating other
disorders characterized by elevated levels of bFGF, such as bladder
cancer, using curcumin and other analogues which also inhibit bFGF.
Representative skin disorders to be treated include the malignant
diseases angiosarcoma, hemangioendothelioma, basal cell carcinoma,
squamous cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma and Karposi's sarcoma, and
the non-malignant diseases or conditions including psoriasis,
lymphangiogenesis, hemangioma of childhood, Sturge-Weber syndrome,
verruca vulgaris, neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, pyogenic
granulomas, recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, venous ulcers,
acne, rosacea, eczema, molluscum contagious, seborrheic keratosis, and
actinic keratosis.