Blue Light Acne Treatment Facts

Acne Vulgaris is the most common skin disorder.

While this disorder is not threatening to your life, it does cause damage the self-esteem of the afflicted.

Because of the rise in outbreaks worldwide that are related to this condition, the variety of treatment options have increased tremendously.

Furthermore, skin care professionals have become specialised in specific areas of dermatology. There are medical practitioners who emphasise not only curing acne, but getting rid of acne scars using cosmetic surgery.

One of the newest methods in cosmetic dermatology is blue light acne treatment, or photo dynamic therapy.

The way it works is first, the patient will be placed in front of the blue light for between fifteen to thirty minutes, once a week. This treatment will continue for somewhere between 3 to 8 weeks, depending upon your specific acne condition. The blue light operates on a special wavelength that is said to effectively eliminate the bacterias that cause acne.

A topical cream called Levulan may also be applied in tandem with blue light therapy.

This cream will often cause your skin to become pink and crusty, however, it is said to be very effective when it comes to getting rid of acne and scars.

Blue light therapy has been around since the 1970s but as an acne treatment it is a recent addition to cosmetic dermatology practice.

Blue Light Acne Treatment Benefits

To be upfront about it, the long term effects or possible side effects of this treatment are not yet fully known.

However, there are many immediate advantages to this form of skin therapy.

This type of treatment is a great first option over other methods that do have known negative side effects.

Antibiotics are commonly prescribed to fight acne but long-term use can cause patients to become resistant to antibiotics in general, putting them at risk of infection.

Accutane is another acne medication which can cause severe depression, suicidal idealization, and birth defects.

Women of child-bearing age using Accutane must have monthly pregnancy tests.

If you are against popping pills or spreading acne creams on your face everyday, then you should strongly consider blue light treatment as an alternative method to get rid of your acne condition.

If you have tried several other types of treatment for your skin condition that simply haven’t worked, blue light acne treatment is an excellent option for you to explore.

It is a great choice for acne suffers who find themselves resistant to topical creams or antibiotics.

The last good point of is that you can now purchase a blue light acne treatment set that can be used at home.

Due to it’s inexpensive cost, those who have the condition of acne can treat themselves in the privacy of their own homes.

It is still not known if the home treatment is as effective as the clinical treatment.

Light Therapy For Acne: How Does It Work?

Acne is a common problem for many people, from teenagers to people in their forties. Acne is not only embarrassing, but can cause severe scarring. As more and more research is done, they are finding more productive ways to treat acne. Light therapy for acne is a promising treatment. In order to understand how this works, an understanding of what causes acne is needed.

Acne And Its Causes

Acne can occur on the face or sometimes even the body. Everyone has glands right below the surface of their skin called sebaceous glands. These glands are responsible for secreting oils onto the skin through the hair follicle tubes found on the skins surface.

These hair follicle tubes can become clogged; as the glands continue to produce oil, the combination results in a pimple. For some, it can just stop there, for others the problem continues when a bacteria known as Propionibacterium, becomes involved. This bacteria is commonly found on the skin, but it uses sebaceous to grow. People with acne have an overabundance of Propionibacterium.

Since bacteria is involved, white blood cells are attracted and cause a breakdown on the skin, which results in the red blotchy inflamed skin associated with acne.

Light Therapy For Acne As An Alternative

Light therapy for acne has shown to be a promising break through. Light therapy for acne works by using a blue or a red light wave. The FDA has approved this process for mild to moderate acne. Light therapy for acne, involves exposing the skin to the light for about 20 to 30 minutes. Light therapy for acne uses a blue ray to destroy the bacteria Propionibacterium. The red light used in light therapy for acne, helps with the swelling and inflammation caused by the white blood cells. Some patients do have some mild pain after using the light therapy for acne.

Light therapy for acne treatments are sometimes offered through a dermatologist center. This process can take monthly treatments as acne is an ongoing problem for many. There are hand held devices that can be purchased for the home. A discussion with a doctor regarding these and which would work the best is recommended.

Although approved by the FDA, there have been no long term studies as to any damage caused by light therapy for acne. For many, the benefits brought about by light therapy for acne are a testament to the success of the process.

Blue Light Acne Treatment Gets the Green Light

Acne Vulgaris is the most common skin disorder. Though not life-threatening, acne can be damaging to teenage and adult skin and can destroy the self-esteem of the acne sufferer. Due to the high incidence of acne, there are more treatments than ever now available. The practice of dermatology has become highly specialized and there are many cosmetic dermatologists operating today who work to not only help cure acne but also to cosmetically erase acne and acne scars.

One of the newest methods in cosmetic dermatology is blue light acne treatment, or photodynamic therapy. Patients sit or lie down in front of the blue light for approximately 15 to 30 minute intervals weekly for three to eight weeks or more depending on severity of acne. The narrow-intensity blue light wavelength helps to kill acne-causing bacteria.

A topical cream called Levulan may also be applied in tandem with blue light therapy. Levulan will cause the skin to turn pink and crust but it is also thought to help in overall reduction of acne and acne scars. Blue light therapy has been around since the 1970s but as an acne treatment it is a recent addition to cosmetic dermatology practice.

Benefits of Blue Light Acne Treatment

Blue light acne treatment is still relatively new and the long term side effects are not known. However, there are many immediate advantages to this form of skin therapy. The first is that patients can choose blue light acne treatment over other treatments which have known side effects. Antibiotics are commonly prescribed to fight acne but long-term use can cause patients to become resistant to antibiotics in general, putting them at risk of infection. Accutane is another acne medication which can cause severe depression, suicidal ideation, and birth defects. Women of child-bearing age using Accutane must have monthly pregnancy tests.

A second benefit of blue light acne treatment is that patients don’t have to deal with the daily hassle of remembering to take medications or apply topical creams. A third benefit of blue light acne treatment is that it is helpful for patients who have received negative results from other forms of treatment. Patients who have become resistant to antibiotics or topical creams now have another choice in treating their acne.

A fourth benefit is that home blue and red light acne treatment kits have been invented. For an affordable cost, acne sufferers can treat acne in their own homes. It is unknown whether these home kits are as beneficial as clinical blue light treatment and they are almost definitely not as powerful.

Is the Acne Light Treatment the Ultimate Weapon?

Acne is a problem that plagues millions of people across the globe and each one of these people would give an arm and leg to get rid of it. There are so many remedies floated around – some work, most of them do not. This makes acne one of the most stubborn yet common afflictions known to humankind.

What Is Acne?

Acne is basically an accumulation of oil and dirt that clogs the pores of the skin usually on the face, though you would also find them on the back and torso. Some of this acne get infected and form pustules full of pus which are not only very painful but also quite unsightly. There is a particular kind of bacteria that causes this infection and this is known as propionibacterium acnes or P acnes as it is more commonly known. When this happens, the skin becomes spotted with marks that take a long time to remove, if at all.

The remedies for acne are two pronged – (1) it fights the clogging of the pores by cleaning the pores of dirt and sebum, and (2) removes the bacteria that could cause infection.

What Is Acne Light Treatment?

The acne light treatment is aimed to fight the bacterial infection caused by the P acnes and by doing so prevents the formation of the unsightly spots on the face. The popularity of the acne light treatment is growing fast owing to the fact that most of the topical remedies tend to damage the skin while attempting to remove the spots. The fact that the FDA has approved it also adds to the overall attraction for this treatment.

Before the acne light treatment was approved by the FDA, many had doubts about the safety of the procedure because it uses UV (ultra violet) light to eliminate the bacteria on the skin. In fact, there had been long debates on whether or not this treatment be accepted as an alternative procedure for removing acne. Fortunately, it got the approval of the FDA in 2002 and until now millions have benefited from it.

The acne light treatment is also known as the Acne Photo Clearing TM or APCTM technology. This procedure involves one session of fifteen minutes exposure to the UV light per week for four consecutive weeks. This would result in the reduction of more than 60 to 80 per cent of the patients, which can be taken as excellent results by any standard. As a bonus, the acne light treatment also repairs the skin which was inflamed by the infected acne.

It looks that this procedure is a wish come true for the millions out there who are fighting with this terrible esthetics-related plague.