Acne and Light Therapy

Light Therapy is effective in the treatment of acne and inflamed skin. Phototherapy is emerging as a viable, effective alternative to prescription drugs and harsh chemicals in the treatment of acne vulgaris and irritated, inflamed skin.

Mixed red-blue light activates the skin's antibacterial and anti-inflammatory response creating an effective means of treating mild to moderate acne.

In a study by the American Journal of Dermatology that examined the role of different light wave lengths and methods of light treatment, phototherapy with visible light was shown to have a marked effect on the inflammatory acne lesions and seems sufficient for the treatment of acne.

For more information on the effectiveness of phototherapy (light therapy) to treat inflamed skin:

An open study to determine the efficacy of blue light in the treatment of mild to moderate acne.
Journal of Dermatological Treatment 2005; 16: 219-223
C.A. Morton, R.D. Scholfield, C. Whitehurst & J. Birch

Acne phototherapy with high-intensity, enhanced, narrowband, blue light source: an open study in vitro investigation
Journal of Dermatological Science, 30 (2002) 129-135
Akira Kawanda, Yoshinori Aragane, Hiroko Kameyama, Yoshiko Sangen, Tadashi Tezuka

Blue light phototherapy in the treatment of acne
Photodermatology Photoimmunology and Photomedicine 2004; 20:266-269
Tien-Yi Tzung, Kuan-Hsing Wu, Mei-Lun Huang

The effective treatment of acne vulgaris by a high-intensity, narrow band 405-420 nm light source
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy 2003; 5: 111-116
Monica Elman, Michael Slatkine & Yoram Harth