How Laser Therapy Can Treat Your Acne

Acne is those painful, red lesions that appear on your skin usually at the worst possible moment. Acne is formed due to blocked oil glands in the skin that become inflamed and the gland or hair follicle ruptures. There are a lot of treatments available for acne, OTC, prescriptions, creams, and medications, oral and topical. For the many who see results, there are plenty who see inadequate results and are still struggling with acne. However, those people may be in luck, because a new acne treatment is available, laser therapy for acne. Although laser and light based acne treatments have been around for over 10 years, it has just begun to gain popularity. That’s because it’s faster, safer, and has no side effects.

            Laser acne treatments, as the title already states, uses laser therapy to prevent, control and cure acne. Laser acne removal is safe and effective, which is something not all topical and oral prescription acne treatments can say. Acne laser therapy can be used to treat mild to moderate inflammatory acne vulgaris and prevent everyday pimples, zits, papules and pustules. It’s less effective on non-inflammatory acne such as whiteheads, blackheads, cysts and nodules.

            Laser acne therapy works in two different ways. The laser therapy heats up the tissue surrounding the sebaceous glands, which excites compounds, which live inside acne bacteria. When these compounds become excited they damage the bacterial wall effectively killing the bacteria within the glands. Secondly the laser shrinks the sebaceous gland, making it smaller so it cannot produce as much oil. This highly effective approach makes laser acne treatment on of the best acne removal systems.

The kinds of laser used for acne treatment include blue-light, infrared, diode, pulsed dye, KTP, fractional, pulsed light and heat energy, Isolaz, photodynamic treatment (PDT), and CO2. In addition to the laser treatment, some doctors will apply an ALA solution to the skin prior to treatment. This makes the skin more sensitive to the light. The most common laser acne treatment is blue-light therapy. Photodynamic treatment is the laser therapy used in severe acne cases. The CO2 laser is used for deep acne scars and lesions and is more invasive than other acne laser treatment.

            Laser therapy for acne is preformed in a doctor’s office. Your skin will be cleansed and a topical anesthetic may be applied to the skin for up to 30 minutes then removed. Both the patient and doctor will ear protective eyewear, to protect them from the laser light. The laser will then be passed over the affected areas of skin. A treatment can take a few minutes or up to an hour depending upon the size of the affected area. Several treatments maybe necessary depending upon the severity of ones condition. Some people may experience slight discomfort during treatment, however the topical anesthetic and cooling technology incorporated into the laser therapy help to diminish pain. There is no downtime after acne laser therapy except with PDT treatment where one can experience redness for 2-4 days then peeling. Avoid direct sun exposure for 48 hours after laser acne therapy. Follow your doctor’s recommendation about follow up treatment and skin care. Normal recommendation is 3 treatments about 1 month apart, however additional treatment more frequently may be suggested.

            Laser treatment to cure acne can cost anywhere from $300 to $500 with PDT averaging $1500 to $3000 and CO2 $4000 and up. Most people use laser acne treatment as a last resort after they have tried all other acne treatment with no results. Although laser acne treatment seems steep it’s a small price to pay when OTC and prescription medications don’t work. Plus laser and light therapies don’t have the added side effects.  Laser acne treatment may be exactly what you need to get rid of your acne and acne scars for good.