Does Light Therapy for Acne Really Work?
Light therapy (AKA Phototherapy) is a treatment in which you purposely expose your skin to specific wavelengths of light for measured amounts of time. The therapy is used to treat a variety of skin disorders and has become more and more popular as a viable acne treatment. There isn’t a lot of evidence to indicate that acne light treatments work on severe acne, but for mild or moderate acne this treatment can definitely work!
How Does it Work?
These treatments can be performed either in a doctor’s office or at home, but they work exactly the same way. A special lamp or light is used to produce a specific wavelength of violet light. The light reaches down below the surface of the skin and activates an organic compound inside the bacteria associated with acne (p. acnes). This activated compound in turn kills the bacteria. With the bacteria knocked down, skin function improves and new acne breakouts are prevented from even starting. The treatment is simple, non-invasive and virtually painless.
How Safe is it?
Light devices for therapy have been reviewed by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) since the early 2000’s – the first FDA clearance for a device was awarded in 2002. Devices available today are based on LED (Light-Emitting Diode) and infrared technologies. They do emit low levels of UV (ultraviolet) radiation but when used as directed, these levels are well within safety limits.
People with sensitive skin or those taking photosensitizing drugs like antihistamines or antibiotics may experience some skin irritation. Some light therapy patients may also experience headaches or eyestrain. But generally these side effects are mild and short-lived. Just remember, as with any other form of therapy or treatment, to be on the safe side you should always consult with your physician before starting any course of treatment.
What Results can you Expect?
There have not been an overwhelming number of studies done testing the effectiveness of light treatments for acne but what has been done suggests these types of acne treatments can be very effective. One of the cornerstone studies done by David J. Goldberg and Bruce A. Russell suggests that acne papules and nodules (i.e. inflammatory acne) can be reduced by almost half to as much as 81% through the use of acne light treatment. To read an abstract of the study, click here.
What this means to you as an acne sufferer is that you can expect to see very real improvement in your acne breakouts. There should be less actual skin eruptions in general and, when there are eruptions, they should be smaller and less pronounced. And when you couple that with the fact that there are very minimal if any side effects to this form of therapy, you have a very effective acne treatment.
What are the Drawbacks?
The main drawbacks to acne light therapy treatments are that they’re time-consuming and a little on the pricey side.
To obtain the best results a patient must expose themselves to an acne light therapy device from between 10 to 30 minutes for each session – and sessions usually run one per day. It takes a lot of patience and commitment to sit beside a table light or use a hand-held device for that long, day in and day out. It takes even more patience to wait for the results to kick in; which is usually a few weeks. So this type of treatment isn’t a magic pill. It takes real dedication to be successful.
Then there’s the cost. An acne light device can run you between $150 and $400 (or more). Special goggles are also needed to protect your eyes which run your cost up even more. That kind of money can buy you a lot of topical acne creams, gels, and soaps – the more traditional over-the-counter remedies. But on the other hand, light therapy for acne can replace the need for those same over-the-counter products too. You can see a variety of acne lights available on Amazon by clicking here
Wrapping Up
If you can devote yourself to the time it takes to sit for these kinds of acne treatments and afford the start-up costs it will take to purchase the acne lamp or light, then this could be the acne treatment for you. The treatments themselves are non-invasive so there’s no collateral damage to your skin. And when performed properly, they’re both very effective on most acne and cause virtually no side effects. Remember though, if you think this type of acne treatment could work for you take the time to talk to your doctor first.
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