Aviclear if you are taking low dose isotretinoin?

Question

Today I had a consultation with a doctor about doing aviclear on my face. My acne is 80% controlled with my current regimen of benzoyl peroxide/adapalene gel, and salicylic acid masks 1-2 days a week. I maybe have 1-4 active pimples at once, sometimes being 4-5mm wide but usually smaller. My current regimen causes facial redness and sometimes my skin is slightly painful, so I was interested in receiving Aviclear so I could stop my topical regimen and had a consultation. Most of the advertising I have seen about aviclear says that it’s the closest results you can get to isotretinoin with none of the side effects, so I was a bit surprised when the doctor recommended I do aviclear together with low dose isotretinoin. I am wondering if it even makes sense doing aviclear if I am going to be taking isotretinoin for six months even at a low dose, since from what I have read low dose isotretinoin seems to be very effective for moderate acne. Aviclear is much more expensive than isotretinoin, and if isotretinoin alone will basically get rid of my acne I’m not sure what benefit I would get from taking it along with doing aviclear.

Ali Sajjadian, MD, FACS · Answer

Thanks seansan for your question! While AviClear is marketed as an alternative, many plastic surgeon are now moving toward combination therapy for more "durable" (long-lasting) results. AviClear (1726 nm laser) uses heat to specifically damage the sebaceous glands locally which make skin thick and oily and sometimes make acne.. Isotretinoin works systemically to shrink those same glands and normalize how your skin sheds cells. Doing both "attacks" the root cause from two different angles.
Studies show that combining laser treatments with low-dose Accutane often results in faster clearance and higher patient satisfaction than using either one alone. Moreover, sometimes, starting isotretinoin can cause an initial breakout (the purge). AviClear can help "shut down" the glands quickly to minimize this phase.
 Accutane has a high success rate, but relapses happen (especially at low doses). The hope with adding AviClear is that by physically damaging the glands with the laser, you are less likely to see the acne return once the medication is finished.
Hope this was helpful!
Best wishes,
Dr Ali Sajjadian

Aviclear if you are taking low dose isotretinoin?

Answers (1)

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