Photodynamic Therapy Q&A
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Is Photodynamic Therapy a Laser Treatment?

asked 4 years ago by anon
Latest answer by Mitchel Goldman, MD
Question viewed 1,445 times
Tags: laser

What does photodynamic therapy mean and how does it work? Is it like light treatment or laser treatment?

4 answers to Is Photodynamic Therapy a Laser Treatment?

+1

Photodyamic therapy can be a light or laser treatment

Photodynamic therapy is when you apply a chemical to the face (Levulan is the brand name). After letting it incubate it needs to be activated with a light source. Some physicians use a blue light, and others use a laser.
Mitchel Goldman, MD

San Diego Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Photodynamic therapy is a light treatment

Photodynamic therapy is a treatment that uses a light source that is filtered for a specific color (usually red or blue) to activate a chemical that is painted on the skin.  Some physicians activate the chemical with an IPL (also a light source) or a PDL (a laser).  
Kavita Mariwalla, MD

New Haven Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Photodynamic Therapy for precancerous lesions and acne

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is not a laser treatment. Laser delivers coherent output of light energy at a certain wavelength. On the other hand, PDT utilizes photochemical reaction between Levulan or Metvyxia (both are breakdown compounds of the red blood cell) and Blue light 420nm or Red light 600-700nm. PDT is FDA approved for treatment of precancerous  lesions, i.e. actinic keratoses. PDT can be quite efficacious for resistant acne vulgaris, which is considered an off-labelled... more
William Ting, MD

Bay Area Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic Therapy or PDT is a method of treatment where a chemical called Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is applied to the skin and then activated with a light source. Sometimes this light source is a laser, sometimes it is an IPL, and sometimes it is a panel of high intensity blue lights. They all work, even the sun can activate the chemical (that is why you must avoid the sun after treatment). PDT is used to treat acne, sun damage, and pre-cancerous lesions called actinic keratoses. It... more
Todd Minars, MD

Miami Dermatologist

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