Alex Ram

By: Wong Darren


Acne light treatment, also known as Clearlight or Blue light therapy is the newest addition to the long-line of acne treatments in the market. This therapy is believed to be the hope for acne patients who have little or not success with all the other available forms of treatments. Blue light therapy works by killing the bacteria which cause most cases of acne. P. Acnes generates small molecules called porphyrins which help in producing the bacteria which, in turn, cause acne inflammation. These porphyrins are the main target of Blue light therapy. It has been observed that porphyrins that have been exposed to Clearlight eventually produce free radicals that wipe out the P. acnes bacteria.

The popularity of acne light treatment is growing each day as more and more people are being treated of their blemishes in a drug-free manner. This light treatment, as compared to the topical medications that often burn the skin, does not contain strong ingredients which would also cause some damage. Most topical creams or solutions cause redness, peeling, and an increase on sensitivity to light. Blue light therapy is known as a magnificent alternative to most of the stingy acne treatments.

There are some individuals who have voiced out their concern that this treatment might not be that safe as it used to utilize UV or ultraviolet light (which is known to be harmful to the skin). This concern has long been answered as the FDA has cleared acne light treatment and approved it for use since it no longer utilizes UV light. FDA's approval for this therapy was released in August 2002.

There has been an experiment made wherein two 15-minute exposures in a week (for a total of four weeks) reduced acne for about 60% among 80 percent of patients. The remission in acne lasted for as long as three or even up to eight months.

Dermatologists now offer Clearlight and it is administered with the use of a blue or red light which uses Acne PhotoClearingTM-APCTM technology. The red or blue light zeroes in on the acne surface and eventually repairs it. In a single month, an acne patient could already walk out of the clinic, free of inflamed acne.

Patients who undergo Clearlight are, basically, exposed to a source of low intensity blue light (about 405-420 nm) for 15 minutes twice each week. This goes on for four straight weeks and sessions cost about $50-150. This makes the set of treatment approximately $800, and the sad part is, since it is considered as a cosmetic treatment, it will not be covered by any medical insurance.

A different form of blue light therapy is the LHE therapy or the pulsed light and heat energy therapy. LHE makes use of both heat and light to destroy the underlying cause of acne. It works much like blue light therapy as it uses light to kill the bacteria that cause acne. The addition of heat ascertains a reduction on sebum. This reduction causes sebaceous glands to shrink. LHE promises fast results in as little as 30 days. With sessions done in over ten minutes, more and more patients are opting to go under the light. For any information on acne light treatments, it is best to ask your dermatologist. Remember that only the mild to moderate cases can be treated with LHE. For more severe cases, consult a specialist.

Wong Darren