One of the most occurring skin malady's is called Acne Vulgaris. While this disorder is not threatening to your life, it does cause damage the self-esteem of the afflicted.
Due to the high incidence of acne, there are more treatments than ever now available.
In addition, skin care professionals have become highly specialized. There are medical practitioners who are dedicated to not only curing acne, but can also get rid of acne scars using surgical procedures.
One of the newest methods in cosmetic dermatology is blue light acne treatment, or photo dynamic therapy.
The treatment is simple, as the patient only needs to sit in front of a narrow-intensity blue light for about 20 minutes, once a week. The general length of this procedure is about 4 to 6 weeks, depending upon the condition of your skin problem. The blue light functions at a special wavelength that has proven to effectively eliminate the bacteria that leads the skin to create acne.
A topical cream called Levulan may also be applied in tandem with blue light therapy.
This cream may cause your skin to become pink and very dry, but it is said to be extremely effective when it comes to reducing acne and it's resulting scars.
Using blue light as a therapy first began around 1975, but it has just been recently used as a solution for cosmetic dermatologists.
Benefits of Blue Light Acne Treatment
Blue light acne treatment is still relatively new and the long term side effects are not known.
Despite this fact, there are several positives in using this treatment.
This type of treatment is a great first option over other methods that do have known negative side effects.
One method that is commonly used is to take antibiotics to win the war against acne. However, if you continue to use antibiotics over a long period of time, your body will eventually become resistant to the drug and increase your chances of getting infections.
Another treatment that is often prescribed for acne is called Accutane. It is important to note that this drug has been associated with birth defects and even depression.
Women of child-bearing age using Accutane must have monthly pregnancy tests.
A second benefit of blue light acne treatment is that patients don't have to deal with the daily hassle of remembering to take medications or apply topical creams.
If you have tried several other types of treatment for your skin condition that simply haven't worked, blue light acne treatment is an excellent option for you to explore.
Patients who have become resistant to antibiotics or topical creams now have another choice in treating their acne.
The last good point of is that you can now purchase a blue light acne treatment set that can be used at home.
For an affordable cost, acne sufferers can treat acne in their own homes.
It is still not known if the home treatment is as effective as the clinical treatment.
