Blue Light Therapy
In today’s blog post, we’re going to discuss another form of treatment for mild teenage acne. In addition to Rotational Therapy™ that was reviewed in our last blog post, today we will review a treatment called Blue Light therapy.
Blue Light Therapy for Mild Teen Acne
At the Advanced Acne Institute we have many teenage patients who don’t want to use aggressive therapies for their degree of acne. Many of these teenage patients choose to use a form of acne treatment called Blue Light therapy. In Blue Light therapy, the patient is treated with an apparatus that shines a bright blue light source into the areas of skin affected by acne. The blue light works by targeting the bacteria within the acne-prone pores. By reducing the bacteria, inflammation can be reduced, allowing the inflamed pores to heal.
Teen Patients are Happy with Blue Light Therapy
At the Advanced Acne Institute, many patients receiving Blue Light therapy are very satisfied with their results. In fact, many are so pleased with the outcome that they don’t want to give up treatment. They are reluctant to stop therapy after having such a good response. Typically, many patients notice a reduction in the size of pimples and the inflammation associated with their breakouts. Some report a significant lessening of the redness of their skin and an overall calming effect on their acne.
Side Effects of Blue Light therapy are Minimal
One of the most important aspects of Blue Light therapy for acne is the general lack of significant side effects. Of course, any treatment can potentially have side effects that are unpredicted, so this should not be overlooked. Nevertheless, Blue Light therapy isn’t painful and doesn’t lead to sensitivity of the skin to sun or other treatments after each session.
Not all Patents are Candidates for Blue Light therapy
Even though Blue Light therapy seems to be very well tolerated and can be an effective teen acne treatment, not all patients can be treated. For example, patients who have an underlying medical condition that makes them sensitive to light, or those who are taking medications that can promote light sensitivity should avoid Blue Light therapy.
Blue Light Therapy Can be Combined with Other Treatment Options
One of the additional benefits of Blue Light therapy is that it can be combined with other forms of treatment to resolve teen acne. Chemical peels, which we’ll discuss in a future blog post, for example, can also be used in addition to Blue Light therapy. Topical medications can also be used together with Blue Light. Even many oral medications can be used to treat teen acne while undergoing Blue Light therapy. Some of our patients at the Advanced Acne Institute, for example, are taking birth control pills while receiving therapy with Blue Light. This type of combined therapy can be more effective than using only one form of treatment by itself, because the combined regimen can target teenage acne in different ways.