Although FDA has approved Blue Light therapy for acne, our results have been inconsistent. I believe that results are better when Blue light is combined with levulan. However, this is an off label use for Levulan.
Is Blue Light better than IPL for treating acne?
i underwent a few IPL acne treatments and they didn't do anything but cause me pain. Is Blue Light Therapy or some other LED treatment the way to go to get rid of acne?
2 answers to “Is Blue Light better than IPL for...”
A: BLU-U vs. IPL for Acne
There is no head to head comparison of these two treatment modalities. However, I presume that you are referring to the use of these two devices along with levulan or Metvix which helps these modalities work much better, as without application of these agents, the results are not that impressive. I would... more
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3 posts
6 Aug 2008
This comment is for Dr. Nightingale. Dr. Stephen Nightingale, you say that "1064nm light can penetrate deeply into the skin and destroy the sebaceous glands, thus decreasing sebum production." Now is that a true statement? Are there studies which actually show that a 1064nm laser (such as Laser Genesis by Cutera) can actually shrink the sebacous glands? The reason I ask is because I e-mailed Cutera about their 1064nm Laser Genesis machine. The Clincial Support Specialist replied saying that: "Laser Genesis does not shrink anything. The mechanism of action makes is appear that the pores are "shrinking". In reality, the pores are being "filled in" with new collagen generation. As we age, the collagen and elastin in our skin breaks down creating fine lines, wrinkles and the appearance of larger pores. Actually, what has happened is the "framework" of our skin breaks down, much like if the framework of a building was weak and began to deteriorate then the structure will start to "sag" so to speak. We do not have large pores when we are young because the structure of our skin is strong. Laser Genesis creates a thermal wound in the dermis that stimulates them immune system to create more collagen in the dermis. This new collagen generation actually "fills in" the pores and fine lines. The ideal settings are determined by patient tolerance and epidermal response. The idea is to create bulk heating of the dermis in order to stimulate the wound healing/immune response that creates the new collagen." Therefore, I'm not sure how you can make a statement saying that a 1064nm laser can destroy sebaceous glands. If it were true, I'm pretty sure Cutera and other companies, would be using it as a marketing tool.