Acne Vulgaris Discussions and Research

New research showing how combination laser therapy can clear acne lesions was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in March.

Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, MD, of the Yale University School of Medicine, reported on the findings from a small, preliminary study that investigated whether photodynamic therapy (PDT) combined with topical 5-aminolevulnic acid (ALA) and activated by a long-pulse, pulsed-dye laser could effectively clear mild to severe cases of acne.

Eighteen acne patients were recruited for the study. Fourteen received 1 to 6 treatments of ALA PDT, depending on the severity of their symptoms. Each was also prescribed a topical acne medication. The study’s control group consisted of 4 patients. They were treated either with systemic or topical medications or with non-ALA PDT laser therapy.

The acne cleared up completely among all 14 patients in the ALA PDT treatment arm. By contrast, none of the patients in the control group experienced a complete clearance of their acne.

Dr. Alexiades-Armenakas also found a significant improvement in the appearance of acne scars among the treatment group, a result attributed to the penetrating effects of the pulsed dye laser.

Side effects from the combination laser therapy were mild: a slight redness that lasted for about 2 days. No hyperpigmentation was observed, even among patients of color.

SOURCE: American Academy of Dermatology

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 21st, 2009 at 4:57 pm and is filed under Light Based Therapy and Laser. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.