Laser Surgery Acne Treatments: The Light at the End of Your Acne-Trouble Tunnel

Well, these are just some of the names for the (relatively) new kid on the block for acne treatment.

Until recently, a combination of topical preparations and oral medications, including antibiotics, has been used almost exclusively with varying degrees of success to combat acne.

Now, several laser and light-based technologies have recently been demonstrated to improve mild to moderate acne in a few treatment sessions, and with no known systemic side effects.

One approach to treating acne is to target the bacteria that produces the inflammation associated with acne known as Propionobacterium Acnes, or P. acnes using laser surgery acne treatments.

P. acnes releases porphyrins, which are naturally occurring molecules in the body.

When porphyrins absorb certain wavelengths of light, free radical damage is produced which destroys the bacteria.

Porphyrins absorb light best in the blue wavelength range – 400 nm to 430 nm.

A low intensity blue light source (405 nm to 420 nm) has been studied for the treatment of mild to moderate inflammatory acne.

In the study, two 15-minute exposures a week for a period of four weeks produced a 60 percent reduction in acne in 80 percent of patients.

Reported remissions from acne lasted as long as three to eight months.

Another way to treat acne using laser therapy is to damage the sebaceous glands by a thermal or heat effect.

In a recent study, a 1450 nm diode laser was used to perform four treatments one month apart.

There was 100 percent clearing of acne in 16 of the 17 patients evaluated six months after the last treatment.

Skin biopsies performed immediately after treatment showed heat-induced alterations of the sebaceous glands, reducing the amount of oil produced.

While lasers have been used successfully for acne scarring for years, their use in actually controlling existing acne is a major breakthrough and could be an excellent alternative for those patients who have had minimal success with traditional therapies.

Since skin treatments using lasers can carry potential side effects, they should be performed by a qualified physician or under direct physician supervision.

Interested individuals should ask their physicians questions about who will be performing laser surgery acne treatments, including their qualifications.

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