Blue light therapy versus low dose isotretinon in mild to moderate acne

Abstract

Background: Despite advances in acne therapy, treatment failure is still common. Isotretinoin is the only drug that affects almost all factors in acne pathogenesis, however side-effects are common at the doses reported in published studies in the literature. Sun exposure is known to be beneficial for acne. Lasers/light-based devices may offer an alternative to conventional acne modalities in selected patients, such as non-responder or noncompliant patients or in antibiotic resistant patients. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of blue light and low dose isotretinoin in patients with mild to moderate acne.

The efficacy and safety of non‐pharmacological therapies for the treatment of acne vulgaris: A systematic review and best‐evidence synthesis

“…Photothermal therapies: fractional erbium glass laser 1550 nm, Nd:YAG laser 1064 nm and 1320 nm and diode laser 1450 nm . Photochemical therapies: blue light 405–420 nm . Photochemical/photothermal therapies (multifactorial effects): potassium titanyl phosphate laser (KTP) 532 nm, intense pulsed light (IPL) 530–1200 nm, Pulsed Dye Laser (PDL) 585–595 nm .…”

“…Although these results initially seem contradictory, this can be explained by the different nature of the treatments in terms of devices and settings (0.350 ms shows more pronounced effect on capillaries than 10 ms). Furthermore, four studies compared laser‐ and light‐based therapy to pharmacological therapy (isotretinoin, clindamycin, benzoyl peroxide and a combination of benzoyl peroxide and tretinoin). None of these studies found convincing differences between study groups, indicating that no treatment group was more superior to the other.…”

“…33,34 Photochemical therapies: blue light 405-420 nm. [17][18][19][20] Photochemical/photothermal therapies (multifactorial effects): potassium titanyl phosphate laser (KTP) 532 nm, 15,16 intense pulsed light (IPL) 530-1200 nm, [21][22][23]27,32 Pulsed Dye Laser (PDL) 585-595 nm. [24][25][26][27][28][29] The majority of the studies reported a significant reduction in acne lesions, of which eight studies found significant results in comparison with a control group (between-group Additonal records identified through other sources, n = 2 results) 17,18,21,22,26,27,30,31 and 10 studies showed significant results as measured from baseline to a predefined number of clinical assessment visits (within-group results).…”

Efficacy of blue light in treatment of acne

“…Acne is a multifaceted disorder of the sebaceous glands, which is common in young people . A variety of topical and systemic modalities have been used in treating acne.…”