There is a variety of treatment choices available in the market today. The use of laser and light therapy has been popular nowadays. The efficacy of these treatments is still in question because the technology is still young. They have gained preference to people who find it difficult to periodically apply creams on faces to treat acne since conventional acne treatments require time and effort in the application on the affected areas. That is why people have opted to find ways in treating acne that will not cost much of their time and effort. This is where light and laser therapy comes to the picture.
1. Blue Light
Blue light is the most common light therapy for acne. It has high intensity and narrow bands. It targets to kill ‘Propionibacterium Acnes’ or the bacteria associated with acne. This is usually the last resort of people in treating their acne. Before, ultraviolet (UV) light was used to treat acne. However, this kind of light was shown to damage the skin and was stopped. Blue light therapy is given in increments. However, there are some side effects like temporary color changes, dryness and inflammation. Many patients that were treated using blue light have shown remarkable improvement.
Blue light is promising because it does not pose grave side effects on the treated skin. Not like the other treatments, blue light does not harm the surrounding tissues.
2. Pulsed Light and Heat Energy (LHE)
Pulses of green light and heat are used to combat acne by killing ‘Propionibacterium Acnes’ and reducing the size of sebaceous glands to minimize sebum production. This procedure will inhibit the possibility of clogging pores and inviting more bacteria to the site of infection. This therapy hits two birds with one stone since the two causes of acne are targeted.
3. Light and 5 Aminolevulinic Acid (ALA)
This therapy involves two steps. Initially, the acne is treated with a solution of 5 aminolevulinic acid (ALA). ALA will make the acne more sensitive to light. Usually, the acne is treated with ALA for short period of time from 15 60 minutes. The time varies on the degree of acne development. After this procedure, the ALA is removed and light is used to expose the acne. The increased sensitivity of the acne to light dries up the acne. Red or blue light is effective but some side effects have shown. These include swollen follicles resembling acne and mild darkening of the area. Another disadvantage of light therapy is that it promotes skin aging and makes it more vulnerable to skin cancers. However, more research is done on this.
4. Laser Treatments
Laser treatments include ‘Diode Laser Treatment’ and ‘Pulsed Dye Laser Treatment’. There have been studies on the use of these kinds of laser treatments and have shown positive improvement. However, some side effects include mild reddening and swelling of the surrounding tissue makes up for some real concern.
The use of these treatments has not yet been truly established. More research about them should be encouraged to settle the issues of side effects which are either short term or long term. Although these treatments have shown to be more effective on adults, information on the side effects and the best kind of treatment should be evaluated before undergoing laser therapy.
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