Acne Light Therapy - 5 Questions Answered

If you have acne and don't respond to the traditional treatments of prescription creams and antibiotics, acne light therapy could be the solution for you. There a lot of questions surrounding this relatively new treatment.

1. Why use this form of therapy over traditional methods?

Light-based therapies reach deeper levels of skin without damaging the skin's surface. Some of these treatments damage the oil glands, causing them to produce less oil. Others target the bacteria that can cause the inflammation of acne breakouts.

2. What can light therapy do for scars?

Light therapy is also known to reduce the appearance of scars and improve skin texture. The laser removes the top layer of skin and heats the lower layer. When the wound heals, new skin forms. After several treatments, acne scars will be less noticeable as they are covered with new skin. It is important to be realistic about possible results from this treatment and not anticipate that scars will disappear completely.

3. Is there more than one type of light treatment?

Yes, there are several options and each is known for specific benefits.

Blue-light - Acne that is bacteria-based is known to respond to this low-intensity blue light. The procedure is painless and generally done in several sessions. Ongoing treatment is necessary since this type of acne tends to be very active.

Pulsed light and heat energy - Without damaging surface skin, this pulsed light therapy can destroy the oil glands in the middle layer of skin. This therapy can be painful but the pain can be minimized by the use of numbing creams applied before the treatment starts.

Photodynamic therapy - Medication is first applied to your skin that will help this therapy to work. Then a series of blue, red and pulsed light are applied to attack oil glands.

Photopneumatic therapy - Targeted areas are treated with blue and red light that destroy the bacteria that cause acne. Then a vacuum is used to suction out the oil and dead skin.

4. What are the side effects of light therapy?

Side effects vary with the treatment chosen. Possible side effects include temporary redness and dryness, temporary crusting or swelling and acne flare-ups.

5. What are the cons to light therapy for acne treatment?

First, most insurances will not cover this type of therapy and treatments can be quite expensive. Also, the long term effects of light therapy have not been identified since this is a fairly new treatment.

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