I am a 39 year old female. Throughout my years, I've had bouts of acne flare ups that were always treatable. I started developing acne on my back and chest and more stubborn acne on my face in my early 30s. My acne is actually VERY mild, but stubborn. I tried several treatments and medications, but they didn't really have long-term results for me. Finally, I tried Photodynamic Therapy, and after the first treatment, I noticed several blackheads or clogged pores in areas I had never had them before. I just finished my second treatment and was horrified to see how many MORE blackheads I had developed again, in areas I had never had them before. Is this normal? I don't even want to go for another treatment because I fear it will only get worse. Any comments or suggestions would be extremely appreciated.
Answers (2)
From board-certified doctors and trusted medical professionals
MOST RECENT
October 30, 2010
Answer: Photodynamic therapy for acne
William Ting, MDDermatologic Surgeon, Board Certified in Dermatology
In our experience, patients can have different reactions to PDT even when administered in the same office by the same person. Patients who have undergone prior PDT in the same area usually have a less aggressive response the second time around.
Photofacial and IPL or intense pulsed light are nearly identical procedures. IPL and Photofacial employ a low energy laser that helps to remove red and brown imperfections from the skin such as spider veins and age spots and smooth fine lines. The downtime from IPL is generally minimal and most...
Photodynamic therapy is a chemical reaction FDA-approved for the treatment of actinic keratoses. PDT can also be used to treat acne, rosacea, broken blood vessels, enlarged oil glands, and brown spots. PDT describes a chemical reaction that occurs when a solution (Levulan) in the...
