Acne Light Therapy

Acne is partially caused by bacteria in the pores, exacerbated by the presence of too much oil in the surface of the skin (that attracts more dirt and infection). People opt for cleansers and other skin care products to basically remove excess oil and clean the pores. But beyond these “obvious” causes is the fact that the real cause of acne is, in general terms, still unclear. The lack of cause does not stop people to try out new things and discover new treatment altogether. Acne light therapy is one of the many breakthrough solutions for acne.

There are basically two kinds of light therapy; the natural light therapy and the synthetic ones. In the natural light therapy, the sun is the obvious source of the light. The UV spectrum of the sun is thought to kill and cause damage to the bacteria that are causing acne. By releasing singlet oxygen during exposure, the bacteria are rendered helpless. Although causing not a single centavo, the side effects of the UV rays are too great when compared to the help it provides for acne outbreaks.

The synthetic sources for light therapy are numerous. The first one (and proves to be the most effective) is the blue light therapy. This treatment bombards the skin with a narrow-band, high intensity blue light that primarily kills P. Vulgaris, an acne causing bacteria. This light treatment is hailed to be the most effective acne light treatment. The positive effects may take up to one month with 8 sessions distributed to this time span at 15 minutes for each session.

Pulsed light and heat energy treatment is the next in the list. This acne light therapy uses light and heat all at the same time to control two contributory factors: P. Acnes (acne causing bacteria) and sebum (oily substance in the skin) by effectively shrinking the sebaceous glands. Researchers have concluded that LHE treatment is effective and safe for use against acne outbreaks (inflammatory and non inflammatory lesions).

There is many other acne light therapy available today which also includes a number of laser-centered treatments. Although light treatments are promising, there are still many holes in the study of its positive effects, which includes also the study of the long term effects in using these.

Tagged as: acne light therapy