Using Laser or Light Treatment for my Acne Problem
Teens and adults both can be affected by acne breakouts. Some teens grow out of it, but many never do and carry the scars with them for life. Whatever happens and to whomever it happens, when you get acne breakouts, it can be emotionally devastating. There is no real cure for everyone, but patients can still do many things to bring themselves relief.
While laser and light therapies are relatively new, many people have had good results. Some better than others.
There are light therapies of several colors available for use with acne problems. Acne causing bacteria is destroyed by blue light therapy, which causes a chemical reaction in the skin. Doctors use red light therapy to decrease skin inflammation and to reduce the size of blemishes.
If acne hasn’t responded well to other treatments, then the doctor may turn to laser treatment. There are many kinds of laser light, but only a couple have proven effective in improving acne blemished skin. The laser therapies don’t seem to carry with them serious side effects. There may be some redness and swelling of the treated area.
Some laser treatments use heat rather than light. Laser heat treatments are usually short with minor pain or discomfort, if any. You may have to see the doctor several times. If you want to eliminate acne early, rather than wait for acne to do more damage, this may be a treatment to consider.
Laser treatment for acne is considered a cosmetic surgery. The patient may have to undergo 3-4 sessions to get a satisfactory result. At about $400 per session, the total could be $1200 to $1600. For people with really good health insurance, this could be covered.
One therapy targets sebaceous glands, working to kill these cells by using a photosensitizing drug together with a special light. The patient might feel some pain or burning during the procedure and some discoloration after the process. The process is called Photodynamic therapy. Since this method was originally designed to remove cancerous lesions, when used for acne control, you may get the added benefit of preventing cancer. This process is not invasive. It is also new, so long term effects are not known. Cost per session is about $600.
Some patients report that their acne cleared up by 50% after having Photodynamic therapy. Scars can also be softened and smoothed by this procedure. Light therapy can be combined with natural and traditional treatments. They don’t have to exclude each other. Sometimes, a doctor may remove dead skin cells using microdermabraision before they do the light treatment. This gives the live skin cells a better chance of being sensitized to light by the photosensitizing drug, giving the therapy a better chance at working.
Another consideration before electing this type of treatment is how you feel now and how you will feel after the therapy. You will almost certainly feel better about yourself after the treatment, if it works. Check with your doctor to make sure your expectations aren’t set too high or too low. Consider whether you are willing to put up with the inconvenience of perhaps 3 or 5 therapy sessions. There may be some pain and redness. Possibly some discoloration, depending on your skin tones. Are you willing to bear the cost? Laser or light treatments will be worth it for you if you are willing to overcome a few obstacles and really want to leave the embarrassment of acne behind you.
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