Laser and Light Acne Treatments

Many patients require a multi-targeted approach for acne treatment. Ask your dermatologist about the use of lasers on acne. For laser treatment to work it must stop the symptoms of what is causing the acne. This is why the acne treatment prescribed by a dermatologist often requires patients to use more than one medication and try other things like laser treatment.

Light therapy - Approved by the FDA narrow-band, high-intensity blue-light therapy for treating acne. Blue-light therapy is widely advertised and is probably the best-known of the light therapy for acne. It works by killing the acne-causing bacteria, and is used to treat inflammatory acne vulgaris that will not respond to other acne therapies. The blue-light products of today do not contain ultraviolet (UV) light. UV light can damage skin and is no longer used to treat acne.

Blue light therapy - is prescribed in increments. Usually prescribed in eight sessions and given over a four-week period. Each session lasts about 15 minutes. Side effects tend to be mild and include temporary pigment changes, swelling of the treated areas, and dryness to the skin.
Pulsed light and heat energy (LHE) therapy - This combines pulses of light and heat. Physicians believe it to target what causes the acne. LHE destroys the acne-causing bacteria. LHE also may decrease sebum (oily substance) production by shrinking the sebaceous glands. Recently system that uses pulses of green light and heat was approved by the FDA for treating mild to moderate acne.

ALA + light therapy - Studies are investigating the effectiveness of this therapy in treating acne. Patients receiving this treatment undergo a two-step process. First, a solution of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is applied to the skin to be treated. ALA is a medication that increases sensitivity to light. When used to treat acne, the ALA is kept on the skin for a period of time ranging from 15 to 60 minutes. The length of time depends on the severity of the acne. The second step involves removing the ALA and treating the skin with light therapy. Since ALA makes the skin more light sensitive, after the treatment you have to use sun protection for 48 hours after treatment.

Consult with your doctor to create a plan of attack for your treatment acne plan.