Acne is cosmetic issue but people living with acne can be self-conscious. This article explains the new therapies designed to remove acne. Keeping acne under control is important to having clear, health skin. There are a variety of options available. So which methods work best? Hopefully, this article will clear up any questions you may have about new acne treatments. The latest technology created to battle acne is light therapy and laser therapy.
One type of light therapy is known as “blue light therapy.” The process involves using a low-intensity blue light over the skin. This light is designed to remove Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), the agent responsible for causing acne. For this particular therapy, treatment is done over a series of sessions. The procedure is painless; however, there can be side effects such as temporary redness and dryness of the treated skin regions. Doctors’ may also use a combination of red and blue light to maximize effectiveness of the treatments.
Another medical treatment for acne is called “heat energy” and “pulsed light therapy.” For this procedure, a combination of heat energy and pulsed light are used to eliminate P. acnes while causing the sebaceous glands to reduce in size. This results in decreased oil production. The possible side effects include temporary redness of the treated skin. This procedure is FDA approved for the treatment of inflammatory acne and mild to moderate acne.
There is another procedure called “diode laser treatment” which can penetrate through layers of skin to reach the sebaceous glands without causing damage to the skin surface. This therapy will reduce oil production that stays on the skin surface. Laser treatment patients may experience some pain; however, topical analgesics are usually applied to the skin surface prior to treatment. The side effects of diode laser treatment may include temporary redness and swelling. The downside to these acne procedures is that light therapy and laser treatment can be expensive and may not be covered by your insurance. You should speak to your physician about if laser and light therapy is right for you.