Light Treatment For Acne - An Introduction
Sep 30th, 2009 by maggiemee
Light treatment for acne involves a procedure requiring the user to expose their acne problem area to a lamp emitting light at a certain frequency. The most effective frequencies used are blue alone, a combination of blue and red or green. The green frequency is pulsed in conjunction with heat to treat the acne.
Light therapy is an alternative to using topical or oral acne treatments. You may want to try this therapy if you don’t like smearing creams on your skin or swallowing pills. If you haven’t had success with the traditional treatments, then this type of treatment may be Maxis Ficos you need. Always consult a doctor before switching your treatments.
It has long been known that light has an effect on skin. Anyone who’s had a sunburn can certainly relate to sunlight’s effect on the skin.
Medical researchers decided to try different frequencies in experiments to understand light’s medical effects. Especially, the medical effects on skin.
It was found that blue light has the effect of killing the acne-causing bacteria, propionbacterium acnes. It was also discovered that red light has the effect of reducing inflammation and increasing the speed of healing. Green light was found to shrink sebaceous glands which also reduces the production of sebum - the food the acne-bacteria thrive on. The heat pulsed with the green frequency kills the acne-causing bacteria.
Blue light acne treatment was found to be very effective in most patients; however, blue alternated with red was found to be even more effective and in more patients. There is some improvement in acne blemishes of approximately 80% in most users. Approximately 20% of users do not get satisfactory results from the treatment.
Green light therapy can result in significant improvement in both inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne. Some patients even see improvements for months after treatment.
Lamp treatments for acne have been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. Although eye protection is required, the frequencies used do not cause skin damage or tanning.
It should be noted that acne light treatment is a new technology and therefore, long-term effects are not known. As well, research studies have been conducted only on small groups of acne sufferers.
Anyone suffering from mild to moderate acne vulgaris can use this acne treatment. Red light tends to irritate acne rosacea so the red frequency should be avoided for that type of acne. Also, anyone who is sensitive to light or taking medication that causes photosensitivity should not use this treatment. This also includes herbs that cause photosensitivity - like St. John’s Wort.
You would normally get the acne lamp treatment in a dermatologist’s office, and this is still the case if you want high-powered treatment. However, dermatologist treatments are extremely expensive.
But, due to the promise of light treatments for acne, manufacturers have now made lamps for home use available. They are not as strong as those used by doctors and require more frequent treatment. But, they are also a lot cheaper and a lot more convenient.
Kirstie MacKinnon is a freelance writer who is particularly interested in the afflictions that affect physical appearance and their solutions. If you want top notch advice to clear up your acne and see more tips, resources and remedies visit her website, Acne-Counsel. Don’t forget to check for more information on the various Acne Treatments.