What is acne?
Acne is the term for pimples and complexion problems that occur in many young people and adults. Approximately 90% of all people will have acne at some point in their lives. Pimples usually occur on the face, but may extend to the neck, chest, upper arms, back and legs.

What causes acne?
Acne usually begins at puberty and may continue for many years. Teenagers get acne as the body matures and produces hormones that stimulate the sebaceous (oil producing) skin glands to make more sebum, or oil. Sebum lubricates the skin. Sebaceous glands within the hair follicles, or pores, become plugged when oil secretion occurs faster than the oil and skin cells can exit the pores. Sometimes the plug causes the wall of the pore to rupture causing redness, swelling, and pus - in other words a pimple. Plugged oil glands may form blackheads and whiteheads. Blackheads are not caused by dirt; rather there is bacteria that normally live on the skin and thrive on the sebum produced by oil glands. Sometimes, the bacteria multiply and cause inflammation, redness and acne.

How does the Blue Light Photoclearing System work?
Utilizing a gentle blue-violet light source, this device targets "porphyrins" existing in the bacteria associated with inflammatory acne. The bacteria are killed, the acne improves and the surrounding skin is left unchanged. Clinical research shows that over 2/3 of patients improve significantly within the first few months of therapy. Blue Light produces faster improvement than oral or topical medicines. We recommend that all of our acne patients use appropriate home care products on their skin to prolong the effects of their laser treatment.

How many treatments will I need?
We recommend eight treatments (1 or 2 per week) and maintenance as needed.

What are the benefits of Blue Light?

• New paradigm for acne treatment (i.e., new technology)
• Short treatment regimen - 8 treatments over 4 weeks to achieve impressive results in most cases
• Increased patient compliance and patient satisfaction
• Suitable for all body areas, including sensitive beard area

What is the treatment like?
The procedure is non-invasive and pain free, with full-face treatments taking only 15-20 minutes. Patients simply lie on a comfortable bed while the light is applied to the affected area; they can even listen to music while being treated. Once the treatment session is over, patients can return to their daily routine. This means no downtime or inconvenience, especially important factors for active teens and young adults.

How effective is Blue Light?
The Blue Light system effectively clears 70%-90% of mild to moderate inflammatory acne in four weeks. Results are especially impressive when compared with conventional treatments, such as topical creams and oral antibiotics.

Are the results permanent?
Blue Light treatments usually help control acne breakouts for four to eight months; after that, occasional touch ups may be necessary.

Is Blue Light safe? Are there any side effects?
Blue Light is one of the safest acne treatments available. The system's blue-violet light penetrates just deep enough into the tissue to reach the acne target, without adversely affecting surrounding skin. Blue Light has no known side effects.

Who can be treated with Blue Light?
Most people can benefit from treatment. Blue Light has proven to be very effective on mild to moderate, inflammatory acne. This system has not been studied in pregnant women, therefore, Dr. Hilty recommends alternative treatments in these patients.

Are Blue Light treatments FDA-cleared?
Yes. The Blue Light system has received FDA clearance to treat mild to moderate inflammatory acne. After eight, regularly spaced treatments, most patients show significant improvement with no side effects noted.

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Blue Light with Levulan®

What is Blue Light with Levulan®?
Blue Light Photodynamic Therapy Illuminator is a special blue light that can kill the p.acnes bacteria in your skin, and can also be enhanced by Levulan® (Photodynamic Therapy). The treatment takes about 20 minutes and is not painful. The use of Levulan® with Blue Light was cleared by the FDA in 2003 for the treatment of moderate inflammatory acne vulgaris.

What is Photodynamic Therapy with Blue Light?
Photodynamic Therapy is a special treatment performed with a topical photosensitizing agent called Levulan® (5-aminolevulinic acid or ALA) activated with the correct wavelength of light. This is also known as "ALA/PDT treatment". ALA/PDT treatment has the unique ability to minimize pores and reduce oil glands, effectively treating moderate to severe acne vulgaris, acne rosacea, sebaceous gland hyperplasia, and even improve the appearance of some acne scars.

How does the Levulan® PDT System work?
The first step is to have a Levulan® Kerastick® topical solution applied to the acne. This solution makes the acne more sensitive to light, which prepares the skin for the second step in the process. After leaving the topical solution on the skin for 2-6 hours, therapy continues with the light treatment. Treatment sessions last 15-20 minutes. After treatment is completed, almost all patients experienced some temporary reddening and some patients experience minimal swelling of the acne, and surrounding skin. This is transient and usually associated with minimal to no downtime. Patients are encouraged to strictly avoid the sun for 24-48 hours after ALA-PDT therapy.

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