What is the best laser acne treatment?

For reducing active acne treatments I use a few choices:

1. I use skin care products that cleanse aggressively
2. I use Leuvulan Photodynamic Therapy
3. I use laser treatment with KTP 532nm or a PDL 595nm laser to reduce outbreaks
4. I use combination of the above treatments

For reducing scars:

1. My favorite is to use the Fraxel re:store
2. I also use CO2 resurfacing treatments

Laser Acne Treatments can be divided into 2 categories:

1. Lasers that shrink oil glands to control current acne problems
2. Lasers that reduce scars from previous acne breakouts

Lasers that shrink oil glands heat liquid-containing structures in the dermis, including the sebaceous, or oil, glands. When these glands are heated, they shrink in size. Smaller glands mean less oil. Less oil can mean less acne. The shrinking of oil glands seems to be particularly helpful in severe acne cases, where deep nodules or cysts form.

Examples of lasers that shrink oil glands include:

• Quantel Aramis II 1540 nm Erbium glass laser
• Cooltouch CT3 1320 nm Nd:YAG laser
• Sciton Profile 1319 nm Nd: YAG laser

When acne damage has caused depressed acne scars, laser skin resurfacing is helpful. I prefer fractionated laser skin resurfacing, which usually requires more than one session, but less downtime after each treatment.

Two examples of fractionated skin resurfacing lasers are:

• Fraxel re:store 1500 SR 1550 nm Erbium laser
• Lumenis Active X 10600 nm CO2 laser

Dr. Alexander Rivkin, who is a great source of information for laser medicine and surgery on RealSelf, has made the excellent point that the Fraxel laser appears to be particularly effective on acne scars. I agree with him.

Skin resurfacing carries some risks, including pigment change. This is especially true for darker skin types.

Remember - It’s Your Face! Find a medical doctor in your area with extensive experience in laser therapy for acne, and ask which laser is best for you.