What is Blue Light and Laser Acne Treatment?

Are you looking to find more information on blue light and laser acne treatment information? Well look no further, because you've found all the information you need.

Using a blue light laser for acne is actually a bit of a misnomer. Blue light therapy and laser acne treatment are actually two separate technologies and techniques, with some similarities but also many differences. I hope to eliminate the confusion so that you may know which path you wish to pursue in blue light and laser acne treatment.

Similarities

Both technologies are rather new and use electromagnetic radiation for treatment. Both are not as well known or accepted as mainstream acne treatments like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. Because they're so new, the long term side effects are unknown and there have been a very limited number of scientific studies done on their effects.

That being said, there have been many people who have reported successful results using both techniques. One downside shared by both is that repeated applications are necessary to see the full benefit. I myself did not use blue light laser acne treatment myself as a I prefer natural acne cures.

So what are the differences between blue light therapy and laser acne treatment?

Blue Light Therapy

Light therapy uses blue light at a very specific frequency (405-420nm), which is more like a deep violet. The light is shined on the acne affected area - generally the face, and the purpose of the light at that frequency is to kill the "acne causing" p. acnes bacteria by activating a porphyrin inside them and cooking them.

You can buy the equipment for blue light treatment to use at home or just rent time at the dermatologist's office. Multiple treatments per week are typically required for several weeks before results are seen. Sometimes, red light is used to enhance the results by reducing inflammation and boosting collagen production.

The side effects of light therapy when compared to lasers is significantly less, because it is much less invasive. The downside of this is that blue light therapy only works on mild to moderate acne, which means it won't work for everyone.

While the up front cost of buying your own machine for this may seem expensive (~$200-$300), it is less expensive than laser treatment and can even be cheaper than topical treatments over the long run.

Laser Acne Treatment

Laser treatment uses (you guessed it) lasers to burn away the sebaceous glands or hair follicle sacs so that less sebum is produced. In addition, like light therapy, some laser treatment exposes the p. acnes bacteria to oxygen which kills it. There is also a different kind of laser treatment which can be used to treat acne scars as well.

Laser treatment can only currently be done in a dermatologist’s office, due to the nature of the lasers. Each visit is very expensive at hundreds of dollars.

There can be slight discomfort during the procedure and afterward as well. Your skin could become red and swollen with a variable recovery time, depending on which laser equipment is used. As I understand, the newer laser acne treatments these days are advertised as having no recovery time.

This type of treatment works best for severe acne, which means that it can be more effective than light therapy.

I hope I have cleared up the confusion on blue light and laser acne treatment for you.

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