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Light Therapy Guide to Acne

What is Blue Light Acne Treatment?

“[Blue light treatment] is a major breakthrough and could be an excellent alternative for those patients who have had minimal success with traditional therapies…” — Dr. Arielle N.B. Kauva

Blue light acne treatment.Blue light acne treatment uses blue light to kill acne bacteria instead of topical or oral medications. Throughout the treatment, the skin is exposed to a blue light source for a short period of time ranging from only a few seconds up to 15 minutes depending on the product.

In-home treatments are recommended daily until acne is either cleared or under control, then the frequency is reduced to maintenance treatments twice to three times per week.

Risks & Benefits of Blue Light Therapy for Acne

Benefits:

  • Blue light is great for back and body acne, too.100% natural and non-invasive
  • drug-free with no adverse side effects, short or long term
  • safe for all ages and safe for daily use
  • great for back & body acne, too
  • painless
  • easily self-administered in your own home
  • no down-time
  • does not stop working over time
  • may work on even antibiotic resistant strains of acne causing bacteria

Risks:

The only significant risk of blue light therapy is the risk of overexposure of blue light to the eyes.  For this reason, eye protection is provided free with almost every in-home acne light and should be worn during each treatment. Please read this article for a full discussion of possible safety concerns. 

How Does Blue Light Work?

Blue light kills acne bacteria. How? When blue light strikes acne bacteria cells, it sets off a chemical reaction that causes the bacteria to self-destruct. No harm is done to any other cells on or in the skin. Here is the scientific explanation from the American Academy of Dermatology:

Blue light acne treatment is safe, quick and easy.“[Blue] Light gets at the core of what causes acne eruptions: P. acnes, the bacterial responsible for causing acne inflammation, pumps out tiny molecules called porphyrins. When those porphyrin are exposed to certain wavelengths of light, they produce free radicals that kill the bacteria. Without P. acnes around to cause inflammation, acne clears up.” American Academy of Dermatology 2002

Blue light is one of the best acne treatments available today, because it kills acne bacteria naturally, fast, and without side effects. However, the combination of blue and red light is even better.

Frequently Asked Questions About Acne Light Therapy

Frequently asked questions about blue and red light therapy for acne treatment.

Light therapy is a broad field of alternative medicine that uses the natural power of light to heal and rejuvenate the body instead of drugs or invasive procedures.
Blue light therapy is a safe, natural, alternative therapy that uses different wavelengths of blue light to achieve different results. Science has found that blue light is antibacterial like UV, but without the risks of UV. Blue light therapy is most commonly used for acne treatment, MRSA treatment and liver support.
Red light therapy is a safe, natural, alternative therapy that uses visible red light to heal and rejuvenate the skin and body. Science is uncovering a long list of benefits that red light delivers, all without any adverse side effects. Red light therapy is another specialty of ours, and you can learn all about red light therapy here
No, light therapy is not an acne cure.

 

Blue or blue/red light therapy won’t impact your hormones or the other factors that actually cause the bacteria to be there in the first place. However, light therapy is different from other acne treatments as the light is capable of penetrating beneath the skin, killing acne bacteria before it has a chance to cause visible acne.

Our line of acne lights are easy to use as a regular part of your ongoing acne treatment regimen, just like good hygiene and proper nutrition. The number of regular treatments you’ll need per week will depend on your skin type and condition, but it won’t take you long to discover the perfect balance to stay ahead of your breakouts and keep your skin clear

Studies have shown that acne light therapy is effective for about 86% of people, so there is a very good chance it will work for you, too.

 

Results vary widely by individual and depend on such things as the type and severity of acne you have, your hygene, diet, exposure to natural daylight, and other things contributing to your overall hormone balance. All that being said, you should start to notice results within the first 2 weeks of consistent treatment. After 4 weeks of consistent treatment most people notice about 60% reduction in visible acne. After 12 weeks those participating in the original research experienced clearing of about 76%. Many people do experience total clearing at or after 8 weeks of consistent treatment, however, maintenance treatments will still be required on a reduced schedule to stay ahead of breakouts.

The majority of people using light therapy do not report that their acne worsens before it improves, though there has been the occasional instance. No research or clinical study has reported any evidence that acne gets worse before it gets better.

 

The key is to properly follow the directions provided for acne light therapy, just as you should for any other health therapy. The directions that come with the light are designed specifically to prevent acne from getting worse at any time, and to ensure the most rapid improvement.

There are no adverse side effects reported.
Precautions:

 

  • The Peak 415™ and Tri Peak™ do contain a small amount of UVA (blacklight,) as did the lights used in the original research reported on in the original research reported on in the British Journal of Dermatology. PDF Use only as directed.
  • Do not use light therapy while you are taking any medication that causes photosensitivity. Please consult your pharmacist for each medication in question.
  • Recent studies have indicated that overexposure to blue light may be harmful to the eyes – please wear the provided goggles for your protection.
  • High Power LEDs are very bright. Do not look directly into the light. Always wear eye provided eye protection.
Yes, back and body acne is easy to treat with every light in our product line. The lights are safe and equally effective for inflammatory acne anywhere on the body. The user guide does include instructions for back and body acne. 
ALA or Levulan is not necessary for effective light acne treatment. This website promotes the natural, non-invasive use of blue & red light. Our lights are not to be used with ALA, Levulan or any other related topical application. You may want to consider PDT at your dermatologist’s office for severe cases of acne that do not respond to light therapy alone. 
Yes, you can, but should you? Blue and red light therapy is a natural acne treatment, and it works best with other natural acne treatments.

 

The purpose of blue light is to kill the acne bacteria on and under the surface of your skin. If that is also the purpose of your topical acne medication, then there is no need for it, and this is a good opportunity to give your skin a break from the harsh chemicals. For mild to moderate inflammatory acne, blue or red/blue light should be the only acne treatment you need.

If you choose to continue your topical acne treatment, then be sure your skin is clean and free of any topical medication before each treatment.

Please consult your doctor or dermatologist about this. Some oral medications may cause your skin to be oversensitive to light (photosensitive). Again, blue light is a natural acne treatment, and it works best with other natural treatments. Any oral medication will effect you on a cellular level, and may result in your light therapy being less effective, or ineffective. If your doctor recommends it, you should stop oral acne treatments for 2 weeks before beginning blue or blue/red light therapy. 


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