Phototherapy treatment of acne vulgaris
Researchers from Cairo University in Egypt compared pulsed dye laser (PDL), intense pulsed light (IPL), and light-emitting diode (LED) phototherapy.
First, the details.
- 45 patients with moderate to severe acne were randomly divided into 3 equal groups.
- Group 1 was treated with a PDL.
- Group 2 was treated with IPL.
- Group 3 was treated with a blue-red combination LED.
- Treatment was continued until at least 90% clearance of acne was achieved.
- Patients were evaluated before starting treatment, at 1 month, and after the final treatment.
And, the results.
- Patients treated with the PDL achieved at least 90% clearance of their inflammatory lesions after an average of 4 sessions vs 6 sessions with IPL and 10 sessions with LED.
- Midway through the study, there was at least a 90% percent reduction in acne lesions treated with the PDL compared to 42% and 35% with IPL and the LED, respectively.
- Minimal mild and usually self-limiting side effects were reported.
The bottom line?
The authors concluded that the results support phototherapy as a treatment option for moderate to severe acne, and longer-term studies in more patients are warranted.
12/4/08 20:01 JR