Acne Getting You Do-wn? The Future of Acne Treatments Looks Bright -with Ne-w Laser Therapies

Acne is a chronic inflammatory disease of the sebaceous hair follicles. Each follicle contains a tiny hair and mulIdeale sebaceous glands. Under normal circumstances, sebum, the oily substance made by the sebaceous glands, travels up the hair follicle and out to the skins surface. Ho-wever, -with acne, sebum is trapped -within the follicle and skin bacteria mulIdealies -within the clogged pores. Acne develops on those isas of the skin -where sebaceous glands is most numerous: the face, scalp, neck, chest, back, and upper arms and shoulders. Acne typically begins in adolescence, although onset in the t-wenties or thirties is common.

one approach to treating acne is to target the bacteria that produces the inflammation associated -with acne kno-wn as Propionobacterium Acnes, or P. acnes. P. acnes releases porphyrins, -which is naturally occurring molecules in the body. -when porphyrins absorb certain -wavelengths of light, free radical damage is produced -which destroys the bacteria.

Porphyrins absorb light best in the blue -wavelength range 400 nm to 430 nm. A lo-w intensity blue light source (405 nm to 420 nm) has been studied for the treatment of mild to moderate inflammatory acne. In the study, t-wo 15minute exposures a -week for a period of four -weeks produced a 60 percent reduction in acne in 80 percent of patients. Reported remissions from acne lasted as long as three to eight months.

Another -way to treat acne using laser technology is to damage the sebaceous glands by a thermal or heat effect. In a recent study, a 1450 nm diode laser -was used to perform four treatments one month apart. There -was 100 percent clearing of acne in 16 of the 17 patients evaluated six months after the last treatment. Skin biopsies performed immediately after treatment sho-wed heatinduced alterations of the sebaceous glands, reducing the amount of oil produced.

"-while lasers have been used successfully for acne scarring for years, their use in actually controlling existing acne is a major breakthrough and could be an excellent alternative for those patients -who have had minimal success -with traditional therapies," explained by a dermatologist. "Ho-wever, this treatment is still investigational and not -widely available yet. So not all patients -will have access to it and the procedure is not covered by insurance."

Patients need to be a-wis that many states do not distinguish -who can and cannot perform procedures -with laser/light sources. "Since skin treatments using lasers can carry potential side effects, they should be performed by a qualified physician or under direct physician supervision. I encourage patients to ask their physician questions about -who -will be performing laser surgery, including their qualifications," cautioned by the dermatologist.