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IPL for Precancerous Spots?
Has anyone had IPL to remove precancerous spots on the face successfully? Did it require more than 1 treatment? This was recommended to replace Efudex treatment.
Asked 27 months ago by
HopeItWorks in Melbourne, FL
+2
Photodynamic Therapy
Treating precancerous spots os actinic keratoses (AKs) requires a little more than just IPL. A procedure called photodynamic therapy or PDT is really the way that it is performed. PDT utilizes a light-activated chemical. THis chemical ALA is painted over the skin in the area that is to be treated. Next, an incubation period of between 1-4 hours is required while the medication absorbs into the skin. Once this has occurred, the ALA is activated by a light source. This can be IPL, a...
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Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon
+1
ALA-PDT (Photodynamic Therapy) for pre-cancers
The earlier poster, Dr. Fincher, provided an excellent response to this question, to which I am in complete agreement. IPL alone is not a satisfactory treatment for actinic keratoses ("AK") but in combination with a topically applied medication called ALA...it is! 5-Flurouracil (Efudex, for example) is a wonderful treatment, and I have been prescribing this for many years. The benefit of ALA-PDT (photodynamic therapy using a light source which may be a blue light or IPL or other specif
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Fort Myers Dermatologist
