How Effective is Levulan Pdt for Arms?

I had 2 previous treatments and my Doc wants me to prep my arms with Tazorac this time. Will that help make the treatment more effective?

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3 Doctor Answers | Asked by ElizabethS in Florida

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Photodynamic therapy (Blue light treatments)

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a very useful treatment for pre-cancerous lesions, or actinic keratoses caused by the sun. Pretreatment with a retinoid such as tazorac will allow the levulan to penetrate deeper into the skin and will make the treatment more effective. PDT can also be done sequentially with other pre-cancer treatments like 5-FU or imiquimod.

Pretreating the skin before photodynamic therapy

Pretreating with a retinoid, such as tazorac, will help to exfoliate the skin, thereby allowing better penetration of the levulan. This will enhance the treatment outcome. Other options to enhance the result include longer incubation times, occluding with saran wrap after applying levulan, or using other methods to exfoliate the skin manually or chemically.

Tazorac before PDT with Levulan

Preparing the area ahead of time with Tazorac should help tremendously in allowing the Levulan to penetrate better in that Tazorac is a retinoid which helps encourage turnover the skin. This should greatly enhance the treatment outcome in an area with relatively thick skin.