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Photodynamic Therapy for Acne, Got rid of dark spots but caused rosacea

UPDATED FROM Tyler S.
5 months post

Final Update

Tyler S.
$450
Its been about 4 months now, my skin seems to breakout less but still has problems with being oily. The benefit I got out of this procedure is that any existing dark spots are gone. My main complaint is that my cheeks are always slightly red and flush easily since doing PDT. I talked to my dermatologist and unfortunately he said I have to do vbeam laser to get rid of this flushing, its basically like rosacea that he says was caused by the PDT since it was so severe to my skin. If you want to have this procedure done, proceed with caution and opt for a conservative treatment since this has become a lasting issue for me now. Right now I'm using Rhofade cream (prescription) which takes out the redness for a day but this is not a permanent solution. Can't say I really recommend this procedure, for me the benefits are kind of cancelled out by having to deal with a rosacea like condition now.

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Replies (5)

October 18, 2017
Do you have any before photo? your skin in latest pic looks flawless. Also, PDT is supposed to reduce oil production significantly, so how come you still have oily skin?
October 28, 2017
Would appreciate your response. Thanks!
October 24, 2017
The oil problem can be solved with low dose isotretinoin (accutane), It should shrink your oily pores right up and permanently stop the outbreaks, but no lasers while on it. One of the best decisions of my life. I have hypersensitive skin that gets red easily, not sure it was triggered by PDT though. I have found Eucerin Anti-Redness Soothing Cream works WONDERS. Look into the two active ingredients 4-t-Butylcyclohexanol (SymSitive) and Licochalcone A that it has. SymSitive blocks the nerve receptors from external stimuli that can trigger redness, and Licochalcone A is an anti-inflammatory that reduces redness. I have noticed a significant and lasting difference from this. Look into it.
February 23, 2018
Thank you! I am going to ask my derm about low dose accutane and hopefully that will work for me. I got the riverine anti redness cream and it definitely has helped minimize the redness! Thank you for the great suggestion
April 17, 2018
You may also want to look into Mirvaso and IPL for the redness. Similar to how eye drops work, Mirvaso is a topically applied vasoconstrictor that shrinks the capillaries in the skin temporarily which eliminates the redness for roughly 12 hours. There is a high likelihood of rebound redness with this treatment however. For a permanent solution, IPL at certain wavelengths can be used to specifically target redness too. It is also much cheaper than V-beam, and should ultimately end in similar results. I am currently undergoing a series of IPLs (that I purchased on Groupon) and have been fairly satisfied with the results so far on my patchy redness that used to come and go.
May 2, 2019
Wish I could talk to you same thing happened to me. My skin looks like rosaeca. Looks awful been 3 months.
March 29, 2020
Has it faded now? Still a little red for me a year later
May 24, 2019
has it faded since?
May 1, 2021
hi thank you for sharing! are you still suffering from rosacea? i have my first session booked in 2 week but im unsure....are you still breaking out? i heard this isnt a permanent fix either
UPDATED FROM Tyler S.
19 days post

Day 19

Tyler S.
There is still a slight pink color on the top of my cheeks, other than that my skin feels normal. I have been able to use topical acne medications for the past week. I had some breakouts from using coconut oil but it's pretty much calmed down now. My face seems like there was some swelling before that is gone now and I'm looking more like my usual self. As far as the results, my skin is still oily, but maybe 30% less. I know it was originally recommended to do 2 treatments but I don't want to do the second one just because it's very difficult to recover while trying to do things that require you to go in public. I would say the treatment works well for getting rid of dark spots from old acne, almost all of my dark spots are completely gone.

Replies (4)

May 23, 2017
I think you look great and so does your skin!
May 26, 2017
Thanks!
June 22, 2017
Use Fix My Skin! Better than Coconut oil and doesn't make you break out.
June 23, 2017
your skin looks great,,,my daughter will be starting Accutane very soon,I am worried about the side effects and potential scarring. I have read about certain laser,etc,that can be done if the Accutane doesn't work. glad to know about this.
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August 24, 2017
Thanks for such a thorough review! You look great!
UPDATED FROM Tyler S.
19 days post

Day 8 photo

Tyler S.

Replies (0)