Laser and Light For Acne Treatment

Laser and light therapies offer an alternative approach to treat acne without the associated side effects present in Accutane and oral antibiotic and also to acne sufferers who can't find a traditional treatment that can get rid of acne on their skin.

Working on the surface of the skin, light and laser treatments not only bring improvement to imflammatory acne but also to acne scars as well.

The wonder of laser in being able to shrink the sebaceous glands (causing them to produce less sebum) and kill acne causing bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) without causing damages to the skin surface lies in the adjustment and focus of the laser beam used in treating acne. Bear in mind that overactive sebaceous glands and P. acnes bacteria are the two main causes of acne and by tackling these two factors, we can effectively treat or maybe "cure" acne.

Imagine a glass souvenir crafted with bubble images of words and images in the center with no damages to its outer surface. This is exactly what happens when we target the sebaceous glands and P. acnes bacteria which lie in the deeper layer of the skin. Both of these outcome are made possible by the application of controlled laser beam.

By inhibiting the growth of acne causing bacteria and also shrinking the overactive sebaceous glands that secrete sebum, we would be able to curb potential future acne breakout on our skin.

When using a high intensity visible blue light in treating inflammatory acne, a photosensitizing agent is first applied and left for 15 to 60 minutes on the skin to let it accumulated in the sebaceous glands. Therefore, when the intense blue light is applied to the skin, the chemical reaction with the photosensitizing agent in about 10 minutes will generate heat and kill the P. acnes bacteria.

After such a treatment, you have to keep yourself away from directly exposed to the strong sunlight. Remember to use a sunscreen to protect your skin to avoid sunburn and peeling. You will also experience temporary pigment changes, redness and dryness of the treated area.

Multiple treatments are necessary to produce satisfactory result as the P. acnes bacteria killed in this light acne treatment process will be replaced rapidly.

To treat acne effectively, it seemed that we need to destroy sebaceous glands as well as the bacteria. Hence, Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) which consists of a multitude of different light wavelengths are used to penetrate targets that lies in the various depth of the skin.

In pulsed light and heat energy therapy (LHE), light and heat are used to kill P. acnes bacteria and shrink sebaceous glands, and leads to a decrease in sebum production.

Diode laser uses invisible infra red frequencies which are longer in wavelength to not only treat acne but also in minimizing the acne scars appearance. It destroys the sebaceous glands in the inner part of the skin without causing any harm to the outer skin layer. As this type of treatment is painful, analgesics is applied before treatment.

In general, light and laser treatments side effects will include redness, dryness or swelling of the treated area. Other drawbacks include its high cost, time consuming and not covered under most insurance plans. Darker skin acne sufferers are also not advised not to go for laser treatment for their acne.